PROTOTYPE: Maximum Carnage
by X-TheAmazingKeybladeDuelist-X
Summary: (Takes place after the events of [PROTOTYPE] 2.) Fifty years have passed since the death of Alex Mercer, and things were assumed to have ended. But they were wrong. The virus still lives and is soon to repeat history. The only one to stop it is a boy by the name of Ashley Jacobs; Ashen. Can he stop it, and who are the people he can trust? (M for language, blood and sexual themes.)
1. One Virus, Five Days

**_(It's finally time to work on the story everyone has been waiting for and I kept talking about. Keep in mind that this takes place after the events of [PROTOTYPE] 2 and contains spoilers of the game. If you don't like spoilers, don't read this. Read it with your own risk if you still plan to.)_**

 ** _New York Zero  
Thursday  
October 19, 2062 _**

**_Day 6 - Infected Population: 92%  
Time: 7:32 PM _**

_"Once upon a time there was life in this place. A place where someone could live their life the way they wanted to. But it's gone...All of it is gone. And it's because of one virus. One virus, millions of people, five days...And the cause of it...Me."_

On top of the empire state building was someone sitting down against the building. The person doing this was a seventeen year old male with Black emo-like hair, Brown eyes, Silver ringed earrings, and wore a Blue hoodie with his hood down, Grey shirt, Dark Blue jeans, and Brown army boots while a part of his chest glowed a Dark Red 'J'-like shape. While sitting there, he watches the entire city before him burning in flames while gunfire in the distance were bring shot off.

 _"I've lost everything because of what's happening before me. All that was left of who I once was...I always lived a troubled life, a time where I was always in the wrong crowd or in the times I fought. I'd give anything to have those times back...Because it was all I could hang onto as just...A human."_

While staring out in the distance, he takes something out from within one of his pockets; A set of Red broken prescribed glasses. He kept his stare at it for the longest amount of time until a helicopter started coming towards him. "It's him! Firing at will!" Upon command, they started shooting multiple bullets at him, to which he quickly put his hood on and glasses up so he could quickly run for cover against one of the walls. To get him out of hiding, they shot out a missile to destroy part of the building, sending him flying away from the building. Reacting quickly, he flipped, dashed, and glide onto one of the walls and began to run on them while Black tendrils swished around his boots. He kept running while bullets flied around toward him until he got up to a certain point, and jumped off to get toward the flying aircraft to grab it by the side. "Oh my god! He's on it! Someone shoot him off!"

"Gotcha!" One of the soldiers said, with three of them opening the side and started shooting at him with assault rifles, to which he quickly dodged as fast as by leaping toward one of them and punched him to the point where he was out cold. "He's in! Open fire!" The last two then started shooting at him, hitting his body before the head, and doing so knocked him down. "I-Is he..." They both look at him and observe the teenager until he slowly begun to get up, with the Black ooze-like substance covering where he was shot. "O-Oh my god! He's still aliv-" He was silence by the Black haired one stabbing him after he formed his arms into claws was made of the same Black substance, but was holding Glowing Dark Red veins. Doing this silenced him, even after the mysterious boy took it out and slashed him in half.

He looks over to the final soldier just grabbed him and put his head over to the blades of the helicopter, disconnecting and destroying the head, then rid of the remains by throwing it away. Afterwards, he jumped out to stab the four-fingers made of blades into the side and climbs over to the cockpit and breaks the door open by grabbing it and throwing it away. "N-No! NO WAIT A-" The pilot didn't get to say anything else since he was grabbed and thrown out. But in doing so, the chopper was starting to go out of control since nobody was flying it. He looks around and sees an army of soldiers shooting at many sinister-looking beasts under him, then jumps out while forming his forearms into large fists that hold the colored veins. He puts them first ahead of him and uses them as a means to land, causing a large blast of rocks and remains of the street to knock back any of the humanoid figures.

After landing, the teenager slowly got up while forming his arms into something else; A large blade that covered his elbow and forearm with the substance and Red glow. Using this new weapon he crafted, he looks over to the beasts, which were on four hands, Reddish, and held a large set of teeth. Without a single bit of hesitation, they leaped toward him, to which he quickly reacted by spinning around for the large weapon to hit all sides, sending some of them back either with their heads cut off or having wounds on their body yet still alive. Without a second though, he leaps toward one of them and stabs it in the chest quickly then covered it in tendrils to do something rather strange; He absorbs it into him, consuming it inside him. Once dealing with it, he looks at the last two.

 _"Everything was taken from me...The life I once had...Someone who was always right...My only family...GONE!"_

In a large fit of rage, he runs toward the other two while having the large blade creating sparks by being drug onto the ground and yelling in anger. Without holding anything back, he leaps and slashes one of their arms off, then changes his arm into a a whip-like weapon with a claw on it, which too holds the Red glowing, to stab it into one of their heads, then yanked it off to kill it. Now all that remained was the very last one, to which he uses the whip to stab it into one of the Brawlers and yanked it down onto the ground, with him then changing it back to the Blade to finish it off by slamming it down, cutting it into two halves and killing it.

Once finishing it off, he turned it back to normal and quickly ran down the streets, filled with civilians that were infected and looked much like a zombie. While running, multiple soldiers started shooting at him with bullets and, also in the distance, tanks that were shooting off missiles. One of them hit to where he was, covering where he once stood in dust before he came out running while wearing a set of Black full-body armor with the Blade still on. He sliced as many infected and soldiers as fast as he could until he got over to the tank and jumped on top of it to grab something after turning his arms back to normal. which shows he holds clawed gauntlets; A Gatling Gun that was attached to the tank, then yanked it off to shoot down multiple helicopters and/or soldiers and infected as fast as possible. After doing this, he threw it away and changed his forearms once more into the large fists so he could smash it, having it explode in his face, which could have harmed him but didn't suffer any due to the armor he wore.

From that moment, multiple choppers then came by, showing someone called in reinforcements. He would have dealt with them first, but multiple infected started to attack him, to which he resorted by changing his large fists into the Claws, then started to slash them quickly to easily deal with them as fast as he possibly could. However, it started to overcome him with the multitasking while his armor started to break. Out of desperation, he starts gripping his chest painfully and yelling to prove this, but did this to shoot out multiple sharp tendrils around him, taking out all of the infected and choppers from where they were.

After everything was cleared, the teenager then rid of the armors and weapons he formed his arms into and was about to walk away from where he was until he hwar a muffled yell for help, making him look and discover the source was a soldiers like the ones he was fighting; Their clothing was Black And Dark Blue body suits with it also having a hood on them, a gas mask that holds two Blue eyes that glowed, Black boots and gloves, and Brown and Silver armor pieces on the body. What makes this one different from the others was that his legs and arm is broken and bleeding.

Seeing the one lying down made him immediately know on who it is and where he came from, with him slowly walking to him and picking him up by the head. "...Blackwatch soldier...Causing me more trouble, huh?"

"P-Please! Let me go!"

"...Don't fucking count on it." He forms one of his arms into the Claws and prepares it. "...Now TELL me or you'll end up like everyone else here! Where were the Jacobs family taken to?! Don't lie to me!"

"I don't know! I swear!"

The boy prepares his claws and aims it toward his broken arm. "Remember who you're dealing with, because I'm not in the mood to be nice." He takes it back and swings it to separate the arm by the elbow, making the soldier of Blackwatch scream in pain. "...Got it? Now I'm going to ask you again; Where. Are. THEY?!"

"I swear to you! I don't know! I was just on patrol to suppress and kill the infected! Honest! T-There's no way I'd lie to you after what you just did! P-Please stop!"

He just stares at him coldly with his Brown eyes, then grasps his head. "...If you end up lying, I'll kill you...And you'll be a part of me. Got it?" He nods quickly, with the Black haired teenager forming his arm back to normal. "...Good." Afterwards, he throws him away to make him land harshly, then runs up a building to get a look around the area before running off.

* * *

 _ **Time Square  
**_ _ **Time: 9:10**_

After sprinting around the city for a while, doing what he did previously, he lands on top of one of the rundown buildings that was covered by small tendrils to look around, but saw nothing from the sight. Knowing he hasn't gone anywhere in his search, he sighs and takes out the broken glasses to stare at them. "I swear to you...And them, that I'll make it right...After everything and what I caused." He looks at it more and begins to look back on what all has happened in the past; Five days ago.

 ** _X-PROTOTYPE: MAXIMUM CARNAGE-X_**


	2. Day 1 - Ashley Jacobs: Ashen

_**Xxx-Five Days Ago-XxX**_

 ** _New York Zero  
Saturday  
October 14, 2062_**

 ** _Day 1  
South Part of Manhattan - Time: 10:37 PM_**

 _"It all started like this...Five days ago. Where there was life and people living the way they lived without fear. That was...Until I started it all."_

Within the city of Manhattan, which is fully repaired after the destruction that was caused by the second outbreak fifty years ago, and filled with multiple lights since it was now more futuristic looking that it did before, even before the outbreak, and held bright lights in the dark night while multiple people who were having nothing but fun walking through the streets with friends, family, and/or anyone that's special to him or her, along with a few police officers walking and driving through the streets with multiple taxi's and cars in the streets to either get to work or on their way home.

Though even during the night, anyone within them also did crimes as well such as dealings with illegal substances and any other actions. However, within an alleyway, there were two people in it; The Black haired seventeen year old while he wore a Black jacket, White shirt, Dark Blue jeans, and his typical Brown military boots while also making out with a girl that's his age with Dark Red Emo-like hair that wore a long-sleeved White shirt, Red Punk Rock skirt, and Black leather boots.

For the past while, the two have been doing this constantly while the male started trailing his hand up her thigh, which caught her attention and stopped to look at him with her Blue eyes and smiled lustfully. "You sure you wanna do it here baby? Luke might be here any minute."

He just smiles the same way. "...Then let's do it before he does then." She smirks by the sound of this and they continue to kiss.

"Hey! Ashen! Zoe! You there?" A voice called, making the two stop what they were doing to see who it was after they quickly fixed themselves up a bit before the one who spoke came in; It was a boy that was around their age with Brown hair, same colored eyes, and wore a Green jacket, Blue jeans, and Black shoes and finger-less gloves. When he arrived, he saw the two and smirks. "Good to know you made it. Thought ya wouldn't."

"Nah, of course we would. We were waiting." The teenage boy, Ashen, says with a smirk while crossing his arms. "What? You think we were gonna forget?"

"Forgetting isn't the word I'm lookin' for. More like...Chickening out."

He walks toward Luke and hits his shoulder while keeping his smirk. "C'mon. You think I'd be a fucking pussy and just leave you guys to have the fun? Hell no am I ditching you."

"Good to know." He looks at the only female now. "You got the supplies?"

"Yep. Right in here." Against the wall was a plastic bag, with her taking it out to reveal that inside it was a stash of spray paint and stencils while preparing one of the canned paints. "Grey Spray Paint. As requested."

"Great." The Brown haired teen grabs one of the cans and smiles at it while the last one was too claimed. "Oh man this is gonna be SO much fucking fun. I can feel it."

The Black haired one then grabbed one of the small plastic plates and looks around to see any officials in the area, but any of the ones in sight weren't focused on them. "Nobody's watching. Now's the time."

They both follow him and look as well, seeing he was right. "Good. Let's go." The other male says.

Within the night, the three of them grab their supplier and runs through the streets and keep into the shadows to get to the location they're aiming to get to. After a few minutes, they finally get to their location; It was a large building that wasn't a big as the Empire State Building, but it held at least twenty-five floors with lights around it, the top having a glass ceiling, and glowing letters at the main entrance that spelled 'GENTEK'. They would enter into it but there was only one entry way in, since the one in the back was blocked by a truck for the company in the way, but the way in was locked by a padlock door through a sheets of metal mesh.

Seeing this put Luke into a state of frustration and looks for an opening to it, but comes up with nothing. "Fuck...No way in." He looks at his male friend with a smirk. "Yo Ash, got one of those cutters or whatever?" In response to this, he reaches in his pocket to grab the small pair of scissors to give to him, which makes his pleased by this. "Good. This'll be awesome."

He uses the clippers as fast as he could to cut through it so they wouldn't get caught by any of the police for breaking in, but after a few minutes he makes a hole for them to fit through, with them sneaking into a restricted area nobody should go into except for authorization. When they made it inside, Ashen takes out his respective can of paint and one of the plates that has letters on it while the others grabbed their own. While both him and Zoe started spraying a Grey and Red colored space for him to spray on that consisted of multiple shapes and waves by the paint on the wall of the building, he smirks and starts spraying letters on it to put a message onto it after they finish.

When the Black haired seventeen year old finished, he steps back so they could all see the message that he put up, saying 'FUCK GENTEK'. "There. They'll sure as hell get the message." Deciding to put a new detail to the graffiti, he draws a face of someone having an obnoxiously large mustache and puts an arrow pointing at it, with the end of it saying 'Dumbass'. The very sight of it made them start laughing a bit.

"Hey! What's going on here?!" A voice asked, making them immediately stop laughing and look to see a male security guard armed with a pistol. "How did you three get in here?" He looks around for anything his line of sight to see the opening they made. "...You three are in HUGE trouble." He takes out the radio on him so he can use it. "Station 47? I found three kids here trespassing into Gentek territory. Come by to get them for me?"

"10-4. Sending one now."

He nods and keeps his gun pointing at them so they don't try anything. "State your names. I'll need them because you three are under Citizen Arrest for tresspassing and vandilism."

"Zoe Williams."

Thinking it would be funny, the Brown hair-colored boy smirked at an idea he had. "...Luke Skywalker." The boy with Black hair laughs at this a bit as well, but the guard didn't.

"Funny. But be serious here because your situation is already bad enough already."

"A'right...Take a joke will ya? It's Luke Broker, ok?"

"...Ashley Jacobs." The one with the said name said.

"Well then...Luke, Zoe, and Ashley. You three are in deep trouble." He says to them, and knowing that there was no way to pass him since he had a gun, they immediately put the cans and plates down.

* * *

 ** _Police Station - Time: 11:59 PM _**

After the incident that took place, the three teenagers were taken to the police station after they were arrested for the crimes they pulled, with Ashen being the only one left after Zoe was taken away from the location with the thanks of her parents being there to pick her up, same with Luke's. While waiting within a cell momentarily, he started falling asleep until he heard the door open in the distance and a voice that was recognizable to him; A female one. After a few minutes, the owner of the voice came through the door that holds all the cells, revealing it's a middle-aged woman with hair like his but with Blue eyes instead while she wore a business suit. Though with her was a police officer from the station.

She sees him and sighs in relief. "Ashley...Thank goodness you're safe."

When she arrives, the officer takes out one of the keys to his cell and opens it. "Alright kido, you're free to go."

He gets up and exist the cell, only to be given a hug from her, but it fades away when she stops and gets angry. "Why did you have to do something like this again? I can't always keep coming by during work to help you out of behind bars!" Even though it was true for her to say, showing that he's done stuff like this before, he just ignores her to pay no attention to what she said. She sighs by this and looks at one of the officers. "Thank you for finding him. He was SUPPOSE to do what I told him JUST for tonight."

"Hey, no problem. Just doing my job. You two have a safe night. And kid...Stay out of trouble this time. We're tired of seeing you here constantly."

The Black haired teenager pays no attention of this statement and crosses his arms. "Yeah, yeah...Whatever." Afterwards he's taken away by his mother, Taylor, and the two leave the station.

* * *

 _ **Jacobs Resident**_ ** _\- Time: 12:12 AM_**

"...I can't always be there to help you when you're locked up! I have to work to get the money we need to live!" His mother says while inside the house, which was a small White apartment within a complex, which wasn't as good as others but it was livable at best since it held a small living room, kitchen, and was at least two stories high to hold the bedrooms for the three. "Do you know what I have to do to get you out? Leave early to do just that! And if I leave early, I don't get the money to give you a roof under your head Ash! A home! I can't keep leaving my job to help you get out of trouble! And more importantly, I specifically told you to watch over Haley until I got back! How many times has this made it now?! The third time you left her home alone?! Fourth?!"

He just sighs and while he was sitting on the chair in the kitchen, listening. "So? She was asleep and it was night. Besides, nothing bad happens in this neighborhood anyway."

"And what if something did after every time you left?! What then?!"

"Well guess what? Nothing happened! So get over it!" He says while he raises his voice a bit. "And what's wrong with being with my friend and girlfriend? Is that so much of a problem?!"

"Yes, it is! Because you left your own six year old sister alone in the house all so you can vandalize someone's property! Is that a good reason to leave your sister alone in a house with no one watching her?! You're always like this Ashley! You just do whatever you want whenever you want, even if it's wrong! Always into fights you start, disrespecting authority, stealing, and even this! Your father didn't raise you like this!"

Hearing this made him snap and just get up, knocking over the chair while also widening her eyes. "...Ok then...So where is he?" She says nothing. "...Where is he, huh?! Where the dad I always had to wait for to get home while he was in a foreign country?!" She doesn't respond to this still. "FUCKING ANSWER ME!"

"HE'S GONE! OK?!" She yells back at him, silencing the two. "...I'm all you have left...Someone is better than noone." They both don't respond to this statement until they hear small footsteps approaching them from the staircase, with them looking to see it was a small six year old girl with Brown hair and Blue eyes while she was in small Pink pajamas. "Haley? What are you doing awake?"

She stayed silent for a bit so she could think of what to say. "I-I...Um...I heard yelling and it woke me up. Are you fighting?"

Just to get rid of her worry, Taylor shakes her head with a smile. "No. Me and your big brother are...Disagreeing is all. Just go back to bed darling, and I'll see you tomorrow. Ok?" The small girl looks up at her mother and nods before going back to bed, and once she was out of her sight, her smile turned into a frown and turns to Ashen. "...I expect you to stay here and watch over her this time."

He sighs and rolls this eyes. "Yeah, yeah...I'm not going anywhere."

"Good. And we'll talk to the owner of the building you vandalized to see what we can do to make up for it first thing tomorrow morning." He just says nothing while she walks out of the house to get back to work.

When she finally leaves, he's alone in the house with nobody else in the living room. He looks around to see nothing has really changed for him, and if anyone was really gone until he goes into his room, which was dark and had a small bed and closet in there. But sleeping and changing his clothes wasn't what he was after; He looks through his closet to find a glass bong in there, then under his mattress to get a substance that was leafy green; Marijuana. He goes back into the living room, fills it with water, and sits on the couch in front of the television while preparing it, but before he can light it up with a lighter, he looks at two picture at the top to see it was of a man of the marines, for he has his head shaves and saluting, and the same man with a younger version of him, his mother, and Haley when she was a baby, knowing he was their father.

The boy sighs by the sight of him and lights up the glass object to have gases flow up a tube to where his mouth was after the spark of the flame boiled the water instantly. After smoking was done with, he hears the door being knocked on. "Y-Yeah yeah! I'm coming!" He puts the object down and quickly walks over to open it, seeing it was was female that was the same age as him, but smaller in height, and has Black hair like him, Blue eyes, and is wearing a Dark jacket with Blacks pants, boots, and holds a unique feather on her; Red glasses. He was a bit surprised to see her this late and papers and books she was holding. "Hey...Rachel. "

"...You got caught again, didn't you?" She asks him, which makes him roll his eyes. "...I should have known. I told you that it wouldn't end well if you went with them. I heard the screaming from my room."

"She's always getting on my case. You know that."

"But...Not like that though. Ever since you hung out with Luke, you've been getting into more and more trouble."

"...So you're saying I can't have them as a friend? Is it that much of a sin to have any?"

"No...It's not that! Not at all! But it's just that..." She sighs to look at him in the eyes. "Ash, everyone knows on how much trouble Luke and Zoe are always into trouble and...I just don't want you in the wrong crowd to make you do something you'll regret for the rest of your life."

By hearing that, he just laughs a bit with a smirk. "Nah, they're not as bad as you think. All we're doing is nothing but fun. That's all." She wanted to say something to convince him otherwise, but gives up and sighs. Though he decides to go to another topic. "So...What's all that in your hands?"

"The work you decided to ignore since the school year started. I want you to at least do it to help your grades." She explains while walking in to place it down.

"And what if I don't give a shit about school exactly?"

"Ash, it's your last year. Like it or not, you need to do this." He just stands there for a while until he decides to and sits down in boredom. "So the first thing we're doing is getting you caught up on a paper of the book 'The Catcher in the Rye'. To make sure you read some of it, I need to give you a review." Ashen just sits there looking through his phone. "So...For what reasons did Holden go to the Museum of Natural History?" The Black haired female sees what he's doing and gets annoyed of this, but smiles knowing that he's at least still ok.


	3. Day 2 - Discovery Through Redemption

**_Sunday  
October 15, 2062_**

 ** _Day 2  
Jacob's Residence - Time: 8:09 AM_**

 _"It was all because of me. It was because of me even doing something as stupid as that turning me into what I am now. Turning everything...Into this. If not for me then everything as I knew before wouldn't have changed. It's the only thing that always runs through my mind, even now. Rachel wanted to make sure I didn't do what I would regret. I could have listened but I didn't...I wished I could have done more, but I didn't...Right before I became...IT."_

After a long sleep Ashen was able to get after staying up late for so long, he gets up in his dark room due to the light shining out from the window. He moves around to get the blanket off of him and looks around for his phone on the bed until he finally does and looks through it for any messages but finds none. He puts it up and grabs the bong in his room to smoke any of the marijuana in the glass object before putting on his clothes from the closet, which was just a Black shirt, same Jeans, and just his socks. He looks at himself in the mirror within his room to see his hair, with him adjusting it before exiting to go downstairs.

While walking down the stairs, he hears his mom talking to someone, which grasps his attention and starts listening in on her conversation. "...Yes, and I'm terribly sorry for what he did to your property. Is there anything he can do to make up for it?" She starts listening to whoever it was that was on the other end while also noticing him being there. He was about to say something, but she shakes her head to stop him.

Figuring that he should just leave her to what she's doing since what he'll say won't change anything, he looks over to see Haley at the couch watching TV of one of the most recent cartoons. While it may be entertaining to her, to him it was just an extremely cheap show that shows that its animation was poorly done. _"...Is this the kind of shit most kids watch today? Just...Wow. Thought people would give a fuck about that shit."_

"Yes, I'm ok with that. What time should we meet?" She keeps listening through the phone while the the teenager listened to this now. "Noon it is. See you then." She hands up and looks at her son. "I set up a meeting for you and the new head of Gentek to talk about what you did last night. We're going to meet at twelve to talk about what you're GOING to do to help make up for it."

He sighs. "Please. Tell me on why I have to owe them."

"Well in case you forgot, they're the biggest company in New York Zero, or in fact the entire world. They're not one to take lightly of. If not for them, we wouldn't be-"

"Yeah? Well maybe they deserve it then!" He says to her while having his voice raised. "They're the reason why the outbreaks of '09 and '12 happened fifty years ago! They're the reason people like that guy Alex Mercer were around around! Especially when he caused the second outbreak that destroyed half of Manhattan! It's because of them that shit even-"

She silences him. "Please don't swear at me. Especially with your little sister being there." This gets him to stop and listen. "Ashley, that was fifty years ago, and the people who were behind all of that are gone. Either by Alex Mercer or that man James Heller killing them or they just retired after the second outbreak was over. Those people were the ones what happened, not the ones now. I want you to remember that and...Please behave yourself if you can help it when we're there." He just stares at her and stays silent until he just sits down on the table. "...Want some breakfast? The usual?" He just ignores her just like that, making her sigh and just cook.

When she started cooking, they all heard the door knock at the door and saw the door open to reveal Rachel, who was wearing a fast food work outfit. "Hello? Miss Jacobs?"

Taylor hears this and looks with a smile. "Hello Rachel. It's nice to see you. Would you like some breakfast for your troubles?"

"No, it's fine. Thanks though Miss. I just wanted to see if everything was alright before I head out." She looks over to see the Black haired boy. "Hi Ash. Are you busy today?"

"I'm afraid not sadly. He needs to clean up what he did."

"Oh...Alright." The young teenage girl looks at her friend with a smile. "I'll see you tonight then. Maybe we can keep working if I can get the time." She looks at everyone. "See you later!"

She walks out and shuts the door, which brings a smile onto the mother's face. "She's a good girl. Always looking out for us. Don't you think Ashley? Even her parents are good people." He just sits there in silence, which makes her sigh a second time. "...You know, you should really hang out with her more. She might be a good influence for you." Again, he stays quiet and just waits for his food.

* * *

 _ **Gentek - 11:51 AM**_

After three hours of waiting, the family makes it to the inside of the building he marked on yesterday after they were granted access inside to get to the front desk, with Ashen not paying a bit of attention to what was happening at the moment, but was making sure that Haley was with them still. When they made it, the mother tries to catch her attention while the front desk was on the phone. "Excuse me. I came here for a meeting with Dr. Laker?"

The woman takes notice of the mother after dealing with the phone call. "Name?"

"Jacobs."

When she heard the name, she presses a button on a intercom. "Dr. Laker? Miss Jacobs is here with an meeting with you."

After a few seconds, the one on the other side responds. "Send her up. Anyone else with her?"

"Just a child and a kid with her."

"...Ah! That must be him! Yes, send them in."

"Yes sir." She cuts off the contact and looks at them. "Alright, go right ahead. Top floor."

The Black haired mom nods with a smile and takes her daughter along with, and the rebellious one about to go the other way, but he sees that in front of him is the same security guard that arrested him last night coming in through the front door to do his shift, but sees him. Knowing he'll just caught if he does anything, he groans and catches up with him family in the elevator to get to the top floor. When they do, the enter a Bright White hallway that leads to an office, which puts Haley in awe by the sight of this area since she never saw it before, and they all enter to see a seventy year old Caucasian man that still somewhat looked young while he still holds hair, even through it's White, a same colored mustache that was small, lab coat, Black pants, and the same colored gloves and boots.

When they arrived, he looks at them after trying on his computer for a bit, and doing this caused him to smile and instantly get up. "Taylor! You're here!" He starts walking toward the woman and offers his hand, which she takes with a smile. "My god, you haven't changed much at all! How long has it been since you've last worked here?"

"Oh...Maybe at least more than fifteen years, almost twenty." She says to him. "But you know on why I quit, right?"

"Right, right. You were pregnant with your first child and had to focus on that." He keeps his smile since he remembered, but becomes sad. "...I'm terribly sorry for Ryan. He was a good and brave man. He did what was best for his country and I'm in his debt for it." Then the man notices Haley, regaining his smile and crouches down to look at her making her shy at the same time. "Hello there. What's your name?" She says nothing, which he nods for. "It's ok. I won't hurt you."

The younger sibling then tries to keep her sight on him. "H-Haley."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Haley. I'm Dr. Laker." Next, he looks at the teenager, making him look towards him seriously. "...And you're one of the kids who did damage to my property, yes?"

Ashen just scoffs. "And if I am?"

"Ashley! Please show some respect!" His mother hissed.

"Ashley? Ah yes...I remember hearing about you now." The lead scientist says. "From what I heard you did more than just write on walls." He looks at her mother now. "And he's your...First born?"

She sighs. "Yes, he is. And that's why we're here to talk about it. Is there... Any way he can make up for what he did?"

This gets the man thinking now. "Well...We COULD have more of a helping hand around here." An idea then comes to mind. "I have an idea on what he can do. Son, how old are you?"

Not liking to be called that, he growls a bit, only for Taylor to stop him by doing a light hit onto his shoulder, telling him to control himself. He sighs and crosses his arms. "My name is Ashen, not Ashley or Son. And I'm seventeen."

"Well then...Ashley." Dr. Laker says, annoying the teenager. "Here's what I'd do. You're going to be doing cleaning duty for Voluntary Service, for at least eight hours. While the ones who clean around here clean up YOUR mess, you'll be cleaning up theirs. I think that's a rather good trade off, wouldn't you say Taylor?"

She nods with a smile. "Yes, I think so. So I'll leave him in your care?"

"Of course. There's camera's everywhere in this facility. Nobody can get out anyone's sight here."

"Good. I'll pick him up around eight or nine." She looks at his son now. "Now I want you to behave here, and PLEASE don't get into any trouble than you already have!"

"Don't worry, Taylor. Nothing is getting out of our sights." Hearing this made Taylor relax and know he means this. Before she left, he waves to the smaller girl. "It was nice to meet you, Haley." The family leave to have the teenager do the work he needs to. "So here's what you need to do; Clean the floors in the entire building, all twenty seven floors, take out any trash that's full, and make sure you clean the windows. Make sure there's no marks around. All of that done around eight thirty. Got it? The supplies are at the bottom floor." He walks back to his desk and continues to do any work he has to do, but notices he wasn't going. "...Do you also have trouble following directions?"

He shakes his head. "Nah, I heard you. But I wanna make something clear with you." He says to catch the doctor's attention. "...Just because I'm working with you doesn't mean I trust you or Gentek. Especially after all that happened."

"Oh, the outbreaks of '09 and '12, right?" The teen nods, leading the main head to sigh and look out the window. "I know that because of what happened, we'll always be seen negatively in the public because of what those who were once in Gentek or even Blackwatch did fifty years ago, especially with Alex Mercer. And I don't expect you to believe me for it...But..." He looks to him. "...Those days are over, and I plan to turn this company back to what it was before any of that; With Blacklight, Elizabeth Greene, or even with what happened with Mercer. You can believe me for saying this or not, that's up to you, but I want you to know that I'm doing what's best for this company even if some people think otherwise." The boy just stands there after listening, and still didn't move. "Anyway, best if you get to work. Everything isn't going to clean itself." He still stands there before walking out of the office to do the work he's been given.

* * *

 _ **Time: 3:05 PM**_

For the past three hours, Ashen has been using a mop to wash any parts of the floor he was able to get while grumbling. "'Make sure there's no marks' he said...Old fucker, I'll sure as hell leave a mark on your FACE." He sighs and keeps cleaning what he could on the floor until he finally finishes doing so and sighs. "There. Ninth floor is finally done." He makes his way to the elevator and presses a button to call it up. He waits for a minute or two before it opens for him, to which he was about to head in until he sees who was in it; Luke, for now has a few bruises on him while wearing a security guard outfit. "Luke! Why are you here?"

"Because that piece of shit parents of mine made me after they beat the hell outta me. So you can guess on what I'm doin'. Though hey, least I'm finally outta that fuckin' nuthouse." The Brown haired teenager says while crossing his arms. "So, which floor are ya going?"

"Tenth floor."

"Then get in then." His Black haired friend walks in and presses a button to close the door and send them up.

While waiting, the Jet Black haired one looks at the floors to see that it went onto ten, but kept going up. "Luke, you just passed my stop."

"I know. I thought maybe if I ran into you, we'd both get to the second to last floor to see what these guys are cookin' up in there. See if they're plannin' anything like last time. Because from what I heard, the second to last floor ALWAYS has some of the coolest shit there."

"But what about the cameras? They'll see us anyway."

Luke looks at him and smirks. "A.J, when did anything stop you?" This put him into a train of thought. "What? Rachel making you soft?"

"Huh?" He smirks and punches his shoulder lightly. "Like hell she is! She doesn't know jack shit on what she's talking about! Yeah, I'm in."

"Good. Zoe's here too, so we should meet her there." He explains to him until the elevator stopped to open, revealing the one entered to be Zoe, wearing the same kind of clothing but now had a Blue punk skirt with a Black T-shirt. "Speak of the devil. Got the card?"

She smirks and shows it off, revealing it was a Silver-colored plastic card. "Right here. Access to any room in Gentek."

This now made her boyfriend curious. "How did you get that exactly?"

"Took it right off of a Gentek scientist. Didn't suspect a thing. Just that good." She smirks and pecks his lips. "Don't worry too much baby. It wasn't that hard."

He took her word for it and when they finally got on floor they all wanted to get onto, they all start walking to get there.

* * *

 _ **Time: 3:10 PM**_

Within a room that that contains all of the surveillance cameras all around the inside and outside of Gentek, a security guard, the very same one that caught the three teenagers last night, was watching over the entire building through every single one of the cameras to see any suspicious activity. He was about to shut his eyes to take a nap until his sights caught onto them walking toward the room that scientists do their experiments in. "What the-What are those dumbasses doin'?" He watches them for a while to see Luke zipping the card across a pad to have them gain access, then enters. "...Those little fuckers just don't learn!" He gets up and runs as fast as he can to stop them. "Dr. Laker, meet me twenty-sixth floor. Fast. Those kids are getting in."

* * *

When they finally got inside, Ashen starts looking around to see the inside was a large research lab that was filled with multiple desks, chairs, and experiments, which was dark at the moment. "Wow...Look at all this. They've been busy."

"Yeah, and that's what's gettin' me curious." The Brown haired teenager said. "But knowing Gentek, they're up to somethin'. They've got to be." The Black haired one listend to this while looking around, but saw a part of the wall held a half cylinder container covered in metal. He wondered on what this would lead to until he saw a pad near it that looked like it required a password. Curious on what it does, he starts thinking up of a password until he typed one down as a guess; Mercer. To his surprise, the metal then begun to open up, catching both of their attention. "What the-What did you do?"

"I...Don't know." He just says, not knowing on what he did as well until the pieces finally revealed a Green light that has a glass container coming out from the back of it, revealing a vial to hold something; It was a Black and Red goo-like substance that was trying to escape. "My god...Is this..."

Zoe walks toward it with Luke next to her, seeing this. "It...It is...Old remains of that virus from fifty years ago!"

"Blacklight...The second stage of Redlight...I just knew this thing would be around still." He says to her while walking towards it so he could grab it and observe it. "...Doesn't look much to me. Not like how it did before."

The Black haired teen shook his head. "This this is more dangerous than you might think. We need to get rid of it as fast as-"

"Stop right there!" A voice said, making them look to see it was the security guard. "That's far enough." Accidentally, hearing him scared the abused one and accidentally dropped the last bit of Blacklight, shocking everyone in the room before it landed on the floor, breaking. But when it did, the virus suddenly shot out and hit everyone in the room that it could get, even the three teenagers. The very hit knocked out the Black haired rebel, putting him into unconsciousness.

* * *

He wasn't sure on what was happening, but he tried waking up just by the sounds of screaming in pain to see the lab now destroyed. "Oh my god! They got in! And Blacklight is gone!" He knew the voice was owned by Dr. Laker

"Sir! I found one of the kids! But the others aren't here!"

"What?! No...They can't be!" Once the screaming stopped, it turned into gargles and moaning. "Oh my god! He's infected! Someone kill him! KILL HIM!"

After a few seconds, there was the sound of guns being shot, but Ashen didn't know this since he was half conscious, then goes back to sleep.


	4. Day 2 - True Colors

_**Gentek - Time: 5:58 PM**_

 _"I don't even remember what happened a while back after all that, but I remembered one thing; Blacklight. That's the only word that kept repeating in my mind. The very thing I let loose, and it's because of me. I was the cause of it, and they had to pay for it and I was now considered a weapon to Gentek and more importantly...To my friends and family."_

After the past while, Ashen slowly begun to awaken after being knocked out by the attack he was given by the Blacklight spreading in the lab. When he finally wakes, he see's he's within a White room filled with bright lights aiming towards him. "Where...Where am I?" Now looking around instead to see the entire room was as White as the ceiling, then tried to get up but he was strapped down to the bed he was lying down, then looked at his body to see he was wearing nothing but his boxers and has a new feature on him; His chest now had a 'J' shaped marking that looks like it has the font of Shonen Punk, but it was glowing a Dark Red bioluminescent on it. The very sight of this freaked him out."LET ME OUT OF HERE! LET! ME! OUT!"

He started shaking while on the outside, Dr. Laker watched him through a window before saying something. "...Test on him, now. And if you have to or if we come up with nothing...Kill him. We can't let him live, even if we come up with something or not."

Being given the order, two scientists opened the door and walked in to test on him while also preparing a scalpel and putting the tray to place anything on it that would be of value to them. "Alright kido...This won't take long. It'll be quick and painless."

The small tool then starts getting near where his chest is, making him move around quicker. "LET ME OUT OF HERE YOU FUCKING ASSHOLES! I'LL FUCKING MURDER YOU YOU SONS OF BITCHES!" He keeps moving as quickly as he can to escape while the scientists start freaking out by seeing him like this until he did what they didn't suspect; He was able to break through the pure metal straps that was holding him against the bed and punches the one with the cutting tool to knock him out, making the other one step back in fear.

"OH MY GOD! HE'S ESCAPING!" Once they were off of him, he tears off the ones on his legs so he can finally move and get off of the bed and walk towards the other scientist. "I-I'm sorry! H-Have mercy!"

"FUCK MERCY! YOU JUST TRIED TO EXPERIMENT ON ME!" He yells while grabbing him by the shirt and throws him at the window, smashing through it and revealing the other scientists. He sees and stares at them coldly while slowly walking to them, but realizes on what he did and how he did it like two particular people; Alex Mercer and James Heller. "I-I'm...Like them." Using this time to their advantage, the security guards then prepare their pistols and begin to shoot at him, which he takes notice of and charges to and through the door.

"Get him! Get him before he gets away Get the police on this or at least any of the guards!" The doctor said.

Once he got through, he begins to run through the hallways and pushing away anyone that got in his way so he could get to the elevator and make his way out of there. But when he was close to it, the doors opened up to reveal that there were security guards with their pistols prepared to shoot him. The sight of this made him skid to a sudden stop and turn away while bullets passed through him and he was fast enough to not get shot by any means. He kept running while any of the other guards started shooting him, then came across a door for the stairs, which he kicked down and started running down so he could get to the first floor.

He kept running down the stairs until he got to the twenty-fourth floor until he heard voices echoing from below. "Up there! Move your ass!" When he heard that, he immediately looked to see it was more security guards heading upstairs to catch him, with them seeing he stopped to see them. "There he is! Shoot him!" They all started firing with their pistols while also blocking his way to go any lower, to which the Black haired teenager was resorted to using the door to get him into the hallway for the floor he was on, which he kicked down so he could get a move on. The same one who spoke to them then used her walkie-talkie. "What the hell's taking so long for back up?! We need it now!"

"10-4. Standby for assistance."

Once Ashen knocked down the door, he runs through the hallway he was in as fast as he could so he can find another way to get to an elevator or to more stairs, and while he ran small tendrils started to swish around a little bit while puffing a bit yet quickly, which meant he was going faster than he could before in his entire life. He KNEW something about him was different, and he was something much more than what he was before. Just when he made it to the elevator, he punches one of the buttons to send it his way. But when it did, the doors opened to reveal more security guards.

"Freeze! Hands where I can see them!" One of them said, to which he didn't do and was about to go down the stairs, but he now saw police officers now entering from the bottom of the stairs heading toward his way. "There's nowhere for you to run!"

Nowhere for him to go, he turns around and heads the other way so he could find another way out, but sees the ones from the other side coming out to stop him. Nowhere left to go, he takes the middle one to find get somewhere, but more of the officers were coming in from that direction as well. The new PROTOTYPE then turned back to run away but now there were no other ways for him to go.

Trapping him, they all cocked their guns while Laker made his way to him. "Nowhere left for you to go Ashley Jacobs. Just surrender now and we'll forget this ever happened." The boy looked around for any exit for him to take until he saw the only place left; The window. Having no choice, he backs up and charges at the window, breaking it as glass shards then fly by while all of the ones who were armed begun shooting at him, but none of the bullets were able to hit him, and they all watched him fall down to the ground. However, due to his new powers, he landed on the ground with his feet to cause a crater below him, which also didn't hurt him and sent from of the concrete ricocheting. "HOLY SHIT!"

The landing he performed scared all of those that were near the area and also some police officers. Though he didn't care for that. Instead, he quickly ran out of area he was in while also jumping over one of the squad cars that got in his way and started running away while still in his boxers, with some of the police officers the starting to chase him down with their cars. He kept running through the streets as fast as he could while he was being chased with police sirens, which caused multiple cars to instantly halt by the sound of it passing by. While being chased, multiple bullets were being shot from all of the squad cars that were chasing him alongside a news chopper following to catch what was happening as best as it could, but the teen was too fast for them to catch any footage of, and each and every step he took had the small tendrils swishing around and leaving a small craters behind. After the chase went on for a long amount of time, he makes a quick turn into an alley way to try and lose them through there.

Though when he made the turn, this made some of the officers in the squad cars to instantly stop while skidding, causing some to collide with others, and get out to chase him with their pistols prepared. They ran as fast as he could to catch him, but his path was put to a stop when one of the police cars halted the path in his way while the officers inside got out to prepare their guns.

Seeing them there made him stop and start looking around to find an exit, but there was none for him. "That's far enough kid! Your surrounded! Nowhere for you to go!" Regardless, he still tried to find a way to get out until thought of a way to escape, and this would prove he's much like Alex Mercer and James Heller. Ashen then starts running toward one of the squad cars as fast as he could, which made them prepare to fire. "I said stop!" Regardless, he kept running toward them and jumps onto the car, which leads it to getting crushed, and jumps off of it to land over a building. "HOLY FUCK! What is this kid?!"

He lands onto the ground, with parts of the cement breaking while scaring those near him. Knowing he doesn't have much time, he runs away as quickly as he could from alleyway to alleyway before any of the officers had the chance to find him, losing him and his trail, which angered them to a degree.

In the distance during all of that, the head of Gentek was staring out of where he was, knowing he's officially out. "...This represents a problem...Just like Alex Mercer and James Heller."

* * *

 _ **Jacob's Residence - Time: 7:03 PM**_

For the past hour, he just kept running. That's all he could do since he was on the run. He kept doing this until he found the apartment complex, which was made of Red bricks and was at least six to seven stories tall, and ran up the stairs while still in his boxers, which gave him a few weird looks but it wasn't his main focus. All he wanted to do was get back home. When he made it to where his apartment was, he knocked on the door. "Mom! Open up!"

He waits for a bit until the door does open, revealing the Black haired female to look at him in shock. "Ashley! What are you doing here?! And why are you in your boxers in public?!"

"Let's just drop that shit for just a damn second, alright?!" He asks while walking in and sitting down on a chair to relax himself. "I-I...G-Gentek..." He takes a deep breath while his mother just watched him with her arms crossed, then he finally gathers himself to explain what happened. "Gentek just tried to do experiments on me after me, Luke, and Zoe snuck into one of the labs and-"

"...You TRESPASSED into a part of Gentek that's forbidden for anyone else to get into?! I THOUGHT I told you to stay out of trouble!"

"That's NOT the issue right now! They just TRIED to experiment and cut me open! They had the remains of Blacklight! I have fucking proof!" He show off his chest to her so she can see the marking on his chest, and it was there but it wasn't glowing for him at the moment. So it just looked like it was dark enough to look like a tattoo. Seeing this shocked him and just looked at her. "...I'm telling the-"

"...Ashley Jacobs, do you really expect me to believe this? After you pulled something like this more than just twice on me? Lied to me? And getting a tattoo when you're still under aged? Who did this?" She asks him, which shocks him and knows the consequences of his previous actions, and that she thinks of that.. "...I'll contact them tomorrow and tell them of this and how you'll have to make up for this after school. If you plan to stay here, at least watch over your sister since I'll be gone around eight."

He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't. "...Fine then." He gives up on fighting her and just starts going to his room in anger so he can stay and hide there until the next day. Since he was going to stay there anyway, he grabbed onto new clothes for him to wear; Both of which are a Grey shirt and Blue jeans. After the Black haired boy sits down on his bed, he takes out his phone, which was left behind on his bed, and tries to call both Luke and Zoe. "Where could they be?"

"Yo! This is Luke! Sorry I couldn't catch ya number. I'm busy with my own stuff or some other shit. Leave me a message and I MIGHT call back." The messager for Luke said.

Now worried for them, he decides to call for Zoe now. "Come on Baby...Pick up."

"Hi, this is Zoe! Sorry I'm not here to answer your call! Leave me a message and I'll call you back! Ciao!"

He wasn't sure on what to think now. Both of the people that were his best friends were gone, and he didn't know what to do at the moment. Hoping to calm himself, he takes both the bong and marijuana from his closet and begins smoking it to help his stress levels, but when he did he didn't feel the effects of it like he could before. This very thing scared him, which didn't help himself since they were gone too. "What's...Happening to me?" He sighs deeply and bundles up against the wall on his bed, but this stops him after the phone went off, with him answering it. "Zoe?! Luke?!"

"N-No. It's Rachel." The girl on the other end said.

"Oh...Sorry. Hey Rachel."

"Hey Ash. Are you ok? Did something happen? Because I saw you running in through my window."

"Yeah...A lot's happened. Meet me outside for about forty minutes? I have to watch over my sister and I have no intention of saying no after what I went through."

"You're...Not? That's...Kinda surprising. But yeah, I will. See you in a few."

He nods. "Yeah...See you then." He cuts the contact with her and rubs his forehead while getting up so he can get there.

* * *

 _ **Time: 7:15 PM**_

Outside of the complex, which was filled with trees, street lights, and a few benches, Ashen was walking toward the bench while he was now wearing a Blue hoodie with his hood up so it can hide his face from any of the police. He sat down and wait for her until she came, showing she was wearing a Black turtleneck, Green Jeans, and her usual Black boots. "Sorry it took me a while. I just got out of work and I needed to change." She sits down next to him, with them sharing a moment of silence. "...Was it bad to the point where you have your hood up?"

"...Yeah, it is."

"Then...What's up?"

He sighs while rubbing his forehead. "...God, where do I even start?" After a second of thinking, he knows on what to say. "...Everything that happened with Alex Mercer and Gentek is far from over. They kept a sample of it for themselves, and I found out about this because me, Luke, and Zoe snuck into one of the labs. I don't know what they plan to do with it but...I know it hit me."

She stares at him with wide eyes. "Then you're..."

"Infected I think...Yeah. Laker tried to do experiments on me and he was about to cut me open like a fucking frog. I don't know what he was about to do to me...And I don't know where either Luke or Zoe are at now. They could be hiding or infected on the street and I don't know..."

"This...This is...Wow." Rachel said to herself while rubbing her forehead. "You should tell your mom about this. She worked in Gentek, right?"

"I did...She doesn't fucking believe me. Not that I blame her." He sighs. "...I fucked up, Rachel. I fucked up badly."

"...Well I believe you." She tells him, which catches his attention. "I'm sure both Zoe and Luke are ok. Maybe they'll show up tomorrow for school."

"Yeah...Maybe." He rubs his head and gets up. "Might as well lay low for a bit and try to find them. Hopefully it'll be over after a while." After doing this, Ashen nods to her. "Thanks for listening and believing me, Rachel...Even after lying so much." She nods back while he walks away back to his apartment.

* * *

 _ **Time: 10:01 PM**_

Deciding to get ready for bed, the Black haired teenager walks into the bathroom with just being in his boxers again and starts brushing his teeth so he can get to sleep. Once he was done, he was about to walk out until he takes a look at the 'J'-like symbol on his chest to watch it for a bit, showing it was glowing a light that was emitting the Dark Red color slowly. "...Just what's going on?"


	5. Day 3 - Learning

**_Monday  
October 16, 2062_**

 ** _Day 3 - Infected Population: Less than 0.0003%/Infection confirmed roaming Manhattan  
Jacob's Residence - Time: 7:27 AM_**

 _"Even after telling her, Mom didn't believe me. I don't blame her to be honest. I was always a piece of shit to her and it's probably what I deserve. After yesterday, I'm now wanted by Gentek, and the Police here are now even more suspicious and on the look out for me. They know my looks, and what I'm capable of...But what I did was just the beginning. I didn't know on what I was fully capable of...Until today."_

After waking up from the sleep he was able to get after the events yesterday, Ashen was putting on his Blue hoodie and Brown military boots while in the bathroom, staring at the Dark Red glowing mark on his chest to see if it disappeared, but it didn't throughout the night for him. He didn't expect it to, but he hoped it would so none of what happened existed. He sighs and exits the bathroom so he can go downstairs, and when he did he saw Taylor preparing Haley for school, fixing her small Green jacket while she wore a small Blue dress.

He takes notice of this and smiles slightly for his small sister and heads out to the door while also leaving his backpack, which catches his mother's attention. "Ashley? You forgot your backpa-" She was about to say until she sighs. "...Never mind. You won't listen to me or do what I need you to do anyway. But are you sure you want to go out with just a hoodie?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Alright...Have a good day at school at least, and PLEASE don't bust any of the locks on lockers like last time."

He rolls his eyes by hearing that, and normally he would do the opposite of what she just said but he had a feeling in him; He didn't want to. He just wanted to get through the day and hope that things will return back to normal. After this, the Black haired boy opened the door and was about to head out until he saw someone there; Rachel, who was about to knock on his door.

Being seen, she stops this. "Morning Ash. I'm surprised you're up already."

"Yeah...I am too. I'm just ready to get today over with." He says to her.

"Yeah, same." She looks at his mom. "I hope you have a good day Miss Jacobs!"

"You too Miss Robin! Hope you two have a good day!" They both walk out the door to leave her with her daughter, with her seeing that she holds curiosity in her eyes. "Is something wrong Haley?"

The six year old was unsure if she wanted so say anything on what was on her mind, but she decided to anyway. "...Mommy, why do you and Ashley always fight?"

This took her back a bit that she was asked this and begun thinking on how to answer it. "...Because your big brother...Is always in trouble. He does things that's not nice or wrong. So I always have to tell him to to stop it, but...He never listens."

"...Will he listen?"

"He will. Just soon."

The mother and daughter shared a moment of silence until the channel the TV was on, which was playing cartoons that the young girl watched, turned to the news channel. "We've been receiving reports of a strange sighting that happened just last night!" The anchorman on the broadcast said, catching the older woman's attention. "Around six in the afternoon, the sight of what seemed like a young man running through the streets of Manhattan while on the chase by multiple Squad Cars! What is known of the boy is unknown as officials don't know this child's name, but the sightings have reported this boy has Black hair and is at least in the age range of sixteen to eighteen while holding the abilities similar to Alex Mercer, the one that caused the 'Mercer Virus' in 2012."

This caught Taylor's attention and started watching all of the recordings they were able to get of who it was running, but they could barely get a sighting of him. She started watching it more until she realized on who it was; Ashen. When she saw him, this also caused her to finally connect this with everything last night; Him not wearing his clothes and the marking on his chest to hold the parasite. This very realization made her eyes widen. "...Ashley..."

* * *

 _ **Cathedral High School - Time: 7:45 AM**_

Within the building of the high school, which were filled with multiple students of cliques, lockers, and multiple doors to lead to classrooms, like all other schools such as this. Both of the Black haired teenagers walked through the hallways while multiple other students and staff were there, with them looking around the groups of people to find both Luke and Zoe so they can see if they're ok. But even though they searched for a long amount of time, they couldn't find them, which concerned the two.

This very fact scared the male a bit. "They're not here...I can't even see them. Maybe they're...Really hiding somewhere. From Gentek maybe after what happened."

"Maybe...But I'm really worried for them because now I want to know if they're ok." Rachel says to him.

"I thought you didn't care for them."

"Yeah, I don't all that much, but that doesn't mean I want them dead. I want them alive and well just as much as you do." When she got done talking, she saw that a group of girl was waving towards her to come over. "Looks like I'm needed. I should go." She was about to walk to them, but stops to look at him. "Remember, what reason did Holden-"

"He went there because he was a child and wanted so see if it changed or not."

The Black haired girl smiled and nodded. "So you remembered. Good. See you in first block."

He nods while she walks off to her other friends, leaving him standing there alone and unsure on what to do. So he took out his phone and put on earbuds to listen to music and walks to the bathroom while searching for a song he wanted to listen to, which was the band 'Green Day'. When he got in, he saw he was the only one there, which gave him the time to observe the Glowing mark on his chest after lifting his shirt, seeing it slowly but surely illuminating the glow that was fading in and out.

When he heard the door open, with hearing click on the door to indicate it wasn't going to move, he put down the article of clothing so nobody would see it to the one entering in. "Yo, Jacobs! There ya are!" A rough voice said, making him look from the mirror to see it was a rather tall and buff Blonde haired man with Dark Brown eyes that was wearing a Sports jacket of the school, Blue jeans, sneakers, and a Brown belt that was loose on purpose.

"...Hey Quinton. What do you need?"

"C'mon A.J, ya know what I want. Ya owe me cash." This make the Black haired one look up so their eyes can meet. "In case ya forgot, I'm the one that even lend ya that fucking weed last month, and I've been NICE enough to delay that shit week upon week." He pops the bones in his neck. "Time to pay up. So where's the money?"

"Don't have it."

"Not the answer I was lookin' for." He starts poking him, which makes Ashen start getting forced into the wall. "I'm askin' ya where my money is at!"

"Look, I'll give it to you next-"

"Yeah, like I haven't heard that bullshit before!" He keeps forcing him into the wall until he's cornered. "I think ya forget on who you're dealin' with! I'm the reason you got hooked onto that shit and you've been lucky that I haven't even beat the shit outta you after I gave you a break." Suddenly, from his pocket, he takes out a pocket knife. "Last chance. Cough it up or that hand of yours you help smoke with comes off. What's it gonna be?"

"I told you already you stupid sack of shit! I don't fucking have your damn money!"

"...Well, I tried to be nice." The Blonde jock was about to grab his hand and force it onto the wall for him to stab the weapon into, but the unintentional PROTOTYPE completely moved it out of the way and backed away. This caused the psychotic student to start swinging his blade toward him. "Quit resisting you skinny ass piece of shit!" With each swing that was thrown at him, he dodged them to the best of his ability due to his enhanced agility because of him being infected with the Blacklight virus. However, the swinging was put to a stop when the last swing caused something; It slit Ashen's throat, causing the Dark Red liquid to start oozing out while he started gasping for breath, which shocked Quinton greatly that he did this. After a few seconds, the body of the teenager slumped over against the wall, with the one who swung the weapon staring at the bloodstained blade in his hand. "O-Oh my god..."

He was about to turn and run away, but what he saw in front of him shocked him even more; The boy who had his throat cut was getting up and growling while the slit wound begun to heal completely. When he came back, he stared at the jock with the coldest and most anger filled eyes before, through sheer rage and instinct due to being a part of the remains of the Mercer Virus, he yells and stabs his hand through his stomach, causing the Blonde haired one to yell in pain. "...Doesn't feel good now, does it?" To make the pain even more excruciating, he grabs onto what he could of the spine and lifts him up, causing him to yell more.

Breathing heavily in fear, he stares at him. "I-I'm sorry Jacobs, alright?! I'M SORRY! I-I'll give you what you want! All the weed you want for fuckin' free! J-Just stop!"

"...It isn't enough." Gripping onto both sides of the stab wound, he begins to tear him into two halves while more blood begun to leak onto the tiled floor until he tears him into the two pieces, killing him while the remains begun to be covered in the Black and Red tendrils on his body, consuming it into his body. Doing this made him growl in pain and grip onto his head. "W-What's happening to me?!" The pain in his brain was never ending until a flash appeared before his eyes, remembering stuff he didn't experience before in his life; Memories. Quinton's memories

 ** _"Alright boys, listen up! We've got a big game comin' up and we need to stay in top shape! We've only got until December to get all ya'll ready for the big game for Christmas! I want ya'll to get on out there and give it your best shot! Ya here?!" The School Coach asks while keeping his voice loud._**

 ** _"Coach!" All of the football players for the school said, one of them being Quinton._**

After the memories flashed before him, he lets go of his head and breathes heavily. "Quinton...H-He's inside me...His memories...M-My memories." He looks up to the mirror to see himself, only to see his body now holds the looks of someone else; Quinton. "W-What did...What happened? What did...I do?" After looking at his reflection for a while, he notices the blood on the floor. "What the fuck did I...Do?" He shakes his head and quickly runs out of the bathroom to get out of the scene he just made, then starts running away so he could get some sort of space to realize what he just did. But along the way, people gave him weird looks.

Needing to find the place he wants to be, he goes to the locker rooms for the gymnasium so he can relax, but when he did, he was given a few comments. "Yo Quinton!" One said, with another comment that's similar to that following.

He ignored them and entered into one of the stalls so he can sit on the seat. "Fuck...Fuck!" He grips his head in stress. "How...How do I do it? There's got to be a way to turn back somehow!" Looking at his hands, he wonders if he can control his looks at will since he's just like how both Mercer and Heller was. Using what part of his powers he could get a hold of, he covers himself in tendrils to return back to his normal form, with all the blood that was on him gone. "This is...This is just weird." He shakes his head and exits the stall so he can go to P.E since it was his first block class with Rachel.

* * *

 _ **Time: 8:20 AM**_

"...Did you hear about that one guy that the news talked about? That one guy that's kind of like that piece of shit named Alex Mercer?" One student asks another while in the football field, Ashen was standing on the line alongside Rachel.

"Yeah, I did. Think that so called 'Mercer Virus' might be back?"

"Who knows? Let's just hope it isn't."

The Black haired boy just stood there quietly alongside the girl with the same colored hair since they both knew that it was him they were talking about. The rebellious male tried to stay quiet about what happened in the bathroom, but it felt extremely hard to do since he actually killed someone on accident and having to do it through self defense to a certain degree. Though he decided to let that go when the coach came in with a clipboard in hand.

When he arrived, he begun to check people off while calling their names. "Rachel Robins?"

"Here!" She said.

"Ashley Jacobs?"

Still in shock, saying his name was a bit delayed. "H-Here."

"Quinton Breaker?" Of course, there was no response for his name. "Is he here?"

"I saw him here! Something must have happened and he had to leave or something." One student said.

The teacher frowned by this and marked him absent. "Well, that's a shame. But...Ya know, what can ya do?" He looks up from boarded object in his hand. "Alright, I hope you guys are ready today! Because we're doing The Mile Test!" Some groaned a bit while some said nothing. Regardless, they all lined up and ready to run. "Remember, run a mile under six minutes and you get ten out of ten points. Every thirty seconds past that will make ya go down a point. Got it?" They all nod. "Ready, and...START!"

At that moment, everyone started running as fast as they could through the track, but Ashen started off doing it slow before speeding up. The more he ran, the more faster he became and started passing everyone that was running, which caught everyone's attention since he was never like this, even the coach himself was caught into this and was surprised by the results. After two minutes, he was able finish the running without breaking a sweat. "So...What's my time?"

Baffled, he looks at the timer he placed once it started. "One minute and forty-two seconds flat..." He looks back at him with a smile. "I'm surprised Jacobs. You didn't do a half-assed job now. Did just as good as Breaker, maybe even better. Keep doing that and you'll get back up in no time." He pats his shoulder and continues watching all of the other students.

However, in the distance underneath one of the bleachers, someone was watching them, the PROTOTYPE specifically, with a smile. "...Time to get to work." His hand forms into a small ball for him to implant into the ground, creating a small pod-like object to grow bigger.

* * *

 _ **Gentek - Time: 8:53 AM**_

...And that's why we need both the Marines and Blackwatch in all of this!" Dr. Laker states while him and the other scientists in a meeting room to talk about the recent events. "This is the third time this has happened and if it wasn't for both of them, we wouldn't be here! I made the mistake to think we could turn Blacklight into something compared to what happened in Hope, Idaho, and I hate to make them suffer for my mistake but we need them now!"

"Do you think Randon Baller would want to work with us? Because ever since Colonel Rooks betrayed his own men fifty years ago, Blackwatch just hasn't been the same since it's been shut down for any Gentek activities." One scientist says.

"Yeah! What if they deny helping?"

The lead scientists sighs by the questions he was given. "...Then they deny being able to save their own people and country. If they don't, then everyone will die because of the mistake I made. We need them just as much as they need us, the people." They all stay silent by this statement. "...All of those who follow their involvement say 'I'."

They all nod. "I."

"Good, now someone bring me contact to Randon. We'll need him. But...I plan to deal with the three kids alone." He sighs once again. "...Before anyone is hurt."


	6. Day 3 - Hunting the Hunter

_**Cathedral High School - Time: 9:40 AM**_

After finishing doing P.E for the day, Ashen walked out of the locker room so he can head down to his next class, which was English, his least favorite topic due to it boring him greatly. Though when he was making his way out and to the class through the hallways he just passed, he saw multiple students crowding around the boys bathroom while some of the staff tried to keep them away and police officers around to investigate on it. He knew why there were multiple people there; They all finally caught onto what happened to Quinton, but nobody knew on what happened to him except himself.

While watching the investigation going on in the distance, Rachel walked towards him to see what was happening. "What's going on?"

Knowing he'll have to hid the truth at the moment, he needed to stretch it. "...I don't know. From what I was able to see, there's a shit ton of blood in there."

"A lot of blood?" She walks over to the crowd to see it, with the Black haired boy following while trying to keep his hood up to cover his face. "Oh my god...This wasn't an accident...That looks like that's enough blood for a murder...Maybe it was Quinton!"

"O-Oh? You think so?" He asks her, trying to act surprised.

"Ash, think about it; They said they say Quinton a bit ago but he ended up disappearing before P.E. He must have been murdered...But who could have done it?"

"...I don't know...Wish I did."

"I do too." After thinking of this, she looks at him now. "So back there just a bit ago...Was that really what you could do?" He nods. "So then...It shows-"

"Yeah, and I'm surprised people haven't added the two together yet. So long as I don't cause any more attention than that, I should be fine still."

While the two were talking, one of the officers took notice of the PROTOTYPE and made him curious, even though the hood was down he saw the facial features and body type he holds, which was skinny yet barely having any muscles. "Hey, kido. Mind taking off the hood for me so I can get a good look at your face?"

"...Why should I?"

"Well in case you haven't heard from the news, a boy just around your age was running from the police just yesterday. And that little bastard ran just as fast as that one guy named Alex Mercer. So...Please take it off for the sake of investigation." He didn't want to show himself, but then he'd gain even more suspicion and be locked up for the same reasons. To him, he was caught anyway. So he slowly took off the hood to reveal his looks. "...You...Look really familiar."

Though before the officer could make the assumption of Ashen being the one they were looking for, parts of the ceiling were destroyed due to something crashing through it; The very thing that crashed through it were three of the same thing; A humanoid monster that is Pinkish in skin color and holds Red-Orange colored veins that's all around the body and arms, along with claws that holds four fingers, jagged teeth and Black eyes on parallel sides of the head. They all roared loudly in power, causing all of the students and staff to run away as fast as they could out of the school while the police in the building started shooting at them with their pistols, but the attacks did little to no damage whatsoever to them, so they could easily kill them with a single slash of their claws.

Everyone within the school building was still trying to get out, with the monsters, known as Brawler Hunters, attacking them via slashing or by biting into their bodies to eat what they could get a bite of. When they were busy killing off anyone within the school, Ashen looks at Rachel quickly. "Make a run for it! I can take care of them if I can!"

"A-Are you sure?!"

"No! Now go or you'll end up like them!" She was unsure of doing this, which angered him. "FUCKING GO!" Nodding, the Black haired female quickly runs past the Hunters so she can get away alongside everyone else. This caught their attention and they were about to chase her down, but the young man grabs one of the locker doors and throws it at their heads, turning their attention from her to him. "Hey! How about you focus on me?! I think I'd put up a better fight!" Even though they didn't listen to what he just said, to them he was just someone for them to kill. Grouping into two, they all charge at him with their bladed hands prepared to swing at him, but using the agility he gained from being one with Blacklight, he was able to jump behind one of them and started to harshly punch the third one in the back, which did some damage thanks to his enhanced strength.

Even though the hits damaged the Brawler he was fighting fairly well, it countered him by slashing him with the claws, cutting his chest but both his skin and the clothing healed due to both him and his clothes being made of his own Biomass. Even though the attack didn't kill him, it stunned him for a split second before the other two monsters turned to slash him in the back, causing him to yell in pain and faze him again, which gave the one he was fighting long enough to grasp the young man's head and throw him into the wall, hitting and making him slump down against it while regenerating from the impact it did to his head. He tried getting up so he can fight back, but he saw one of the monsters leaping towards him to stabs its hand into his chest, but he sees this and immediately jumped over so he can kick it down onto the tiled ground, causing it to crack.

Landing onto the ground, he prepares himself once again to punch one of the Brawlers in front of him, but the other one grabs his head and throws him away from them and toward the spot on the wall he was thrown at previously, sending him through it and at a group of desks, breaking but also slowing down his speed from when he was thrown. The PROTOTYPE slowly tried to get up while taking out pieces of the desk that impaled him, but another one of the Hunting Infected ran up to him to slash him, but he dodged out of the avoid the attack, but one of the others attacked him while trying to, sending him through the brick walls and landed onto the front of the school, rolling through the grass.

He looks to see multiple people who evacuated from the school are there with multiple police there to protect them, with Rachel running up to him in worry. "Ashley!"

This catches his attention. "Rachel, stand back!" It was too late when he said this. The Brawlers jumped out of the building through making another hole in the ceiling so they can land near him, causing everyone nearby to panic while some of the police in the area started shooting one of the beasts, making that particular one run to them and start attacking.

One of them got on top of Ashen so he could take a bit out of his head, but he was trying to push it off as best as he could due to him taking so many blows that it caused him to get weaker in strength. The other one saw the female friend of his and leaps toward her, grabbing her and trying to bite her as well, but she was holding the head so it didn't. "A-ASHLEY! HELP! HE'S TRYING TO EAT ME!"

He sees this with wide eyes, making his anger fill with each second of it and wanting to push the large Infected off of him. In desperation to get out, he prepares his foot and kicks it off of him, giving him the chance to rush at it and prepare his fist to punch through its neck, causing blood to spill onto the ground but also shocking everyone who was watching. With the fist still in, he grabs the head and starts ripping it off of the body while he screams in rage until he yanks it off while tendrils around his body begins to swish around and attach to the now dead corpse, then consumes the entire body so it can become one with him. However, when it did, memories begin to flash before his eyes; Messages.

 **"Mercer isn't a 'He'! It's an 'IT.'"**

 **"They think they're in control? They have no idea what I'm capable of."**

 **"I am no longer bound by 'life' or 'death', Dana. I've moved beyond that."**

He grips his head still, collecting certain parts of the old memories of Alex Mercer, knowing of what he is and what he's about to become. Screaming, he lets go and swings his arms away from his body, covering them while his full powers are activated and his arms turning into Black four-fingered talon-like claws that holds glowing Red veins, some leading to the 'J' on his chest while it glowed even more now and made itself more revealing through his 'shirt'. Everyone stares in shock by what just happened after the yell, which also caught the attention of the other Brawlers. Using his new Claw powers, he leaps toward the one that has a hold of Rachel and stabs the blades fingers into its chest, knocking it down while also getting rid of the grip on her. With it down, he prepares his arms by putting them away from each other and swings them together, slashing the head off. Now looking at the last Infected beast, he screams and leaps toward it with the blades hands prepared and stabbing into its back, causing the beast to roar and start moving around while trying to claw the young teenage PROTOTYPE off its back. To get it to stop, he stabs the hand into the last Brawlers shoulder, causing a painful screech before it was ripped off, leaving it with only one arm left. He does the very same with the other arm, but he keeps a hold of it and wacks it with the dismembered arm, sending it down onto the ground both weak and bleeding.

He lands on the ground and grabs the beast by the head so he can lift it up and get a good look at the monsters ugly face, seeing it still moving and trying to take a bite out of him. To finish the battle, he grabs the face with his other claw and smashes it, leaving it as nothing but a bloody mess. When he was done, he lets go while having his arms return back to normal. While he may look normal now, he wasn't to anyone else that witnessed on what he became, and his reputation was far worse now. Everyone was staring at him in pure fear while the Police have their pistols prepared to shoot. Knowing this, he shakes his head. "...I did it! I'm the one who killed Quinton! That blood in the bathroom? It was his! He tried to fucking kill me, and he GOT what he deserved! So don't mess with me unless you want to end up like them!"

After the warning he gave them, he runs away from the school ground, leaving everyone to stand there in shock, along with Rachel since she wasn't sure on what to feel on what just happened, with the one who created the beasts watching and smiling.

* * *

 _ **Gentek - Time: 12:08 PM**_

At the building of Gentek, Dr. Laker is outside of the large building while multiple Black trucks with the soldiers of Blue and Black body armor, hoods, and gas masks putting all of their equipment into the area like all of their weapons and vehicles like tanks. When another batch of the army soldier came by to drop more off, one of them stuck out out of all of them; He was man around his mid-thirties with unusual Grey hair for his age, and wore a Black body armor suit on him.

When he arrived, he offered his hand to the lead scientist. "Dr. Laker. Pleasure to meet you." The two shake hands. "I assume that boy on the news is your doing? After what happened yesterday and of the attack at the School?"

"Not purposely, no."

"So this mean you're going back to your old ways here in Gentek?"

"No, of course not Colonel Randon Baller. It was all for different reasons to why it's still around, but I suppose the outcome was still the same regardless."

"Yes, and now a third outbreak has happened. More of those beasts have appeared and from what I'm seeing, at least two percent of the population in New York Zero was witnessed being infected. It's spreading like a wildfire, just like with Mercer."

"Yes, and I plan to deal with this myself. I'm doing something about this as we speak, but I need your men of Blackwatch and the United States Marines to do it."

He nods. "We're at your command if you need help." He looks at his men. "Get everything settled; Double time! If we want to stop another Alex Mercer around here, then pick up the pace!" Then the commander looks back to the old man. "What's the kid's name?"

"...Ashley Jacobs; Codenamed: A.S.H.E.R."


	7. Day 3 - Pursuit

_**Infected Population - 5%  
Jacob's Residence - Time: 8:18 PM**_

 _"It was official now. I was no longer what I was before. I've become more than just a person and a human. I'm now a virus, something beyond both being alive and dead. Of that was really the case, would this mean I was Ashley Jacobs? Or did this mean this was just the shell of someone who died? I don't know the answer to that, but I knew that I was still this person and his memories were still mine. I knew I was no longer allowed at school, no matter for what the reason was. At it was all because of Laker. I needed to stop him soon before anything else happened...But thing was, I didn't know where to start...But then I found them."_

At the top of the complex, Ashen was just sitting on the roof alone and in the dark night since he wanted there to be nothing but silence from hearing other people and the sounds of cars driving by with his hood up. He looks at his hand so he can turn it into the Claw power and stares at it and the Dark Red glow it made, which it illuminated due to the dark, knowing that it was official, even after the acts of consuming and his enchanced ability; He was infected. He was officially much like Alex Mercer and James Heller. Afterwards, the arm changes back to normal and grips his forehead a bit.

While he still sat there, he heard someone coming towards him, which gave him the reaction to get up and prepare himself, but sees it was only Rachel. "Rachel...What are you doing here?"

"...I wanted to see if you were ok." She says, with him not doing anything and slowly begun to sit back down, with her sitting next to him. They both shared a moment of silence before saying anything. "...Did you really kill him? Quinton?" To prove he did, he looks at her and uses the tendrils to change his body, turning into a perfect copy of him just momentarily before turning back. "...I see...So you really did."

"He was going to kill me. I thought he did but...I was angry and..." He sighs. "...I want to go back on what I did and I wished I could have done something else, but I can't. He's in me and his memories are mine...I can't undo what I did."

"...He was a dick anyway...But I can get why..." She looks at his arms now. "...Did you also mean what you said that you'll make everyone like those monsters if they got in your way?"

"No...It was to make sure they didn't follow me, even thought after what happened my life and reputation is even worse now anyway. They know what I'm capable of now and they fear me for it...Even I'm scared of it." The Black haired teen looks down to his chest, seeing the place of where the virus lays in him. "But now I know I need this to stop this virus from going on...I don't know who's the one spreading it, but this city will go down into its knees if I don't do anything."

"Ashley, I know you'll be able to stop it. But I'm more wondering on what's causing the virus to spread. Is it becoming natural or is someone doing this?"

"What? Like Luke or someone else?"

"Either him or James Heller since he's probably still around. It wouldn't be entirely impossible."

"I don't know about Luke. We may do some stupid shit that would get us in trouble...But he's not the kind of guy to kill people. I know that much." He explains to her. "You guys can call him a piece of shit all you want...But he's not like that." The teenage girl listens to this while looking down and nods. He was going to grip on his shoulder, but he stopped by his phone going off, making him stop and look to see it was Taylor calling him. Looking at it, she looks back at her. "I should probably take this...She probably has shit to say."

She nods. "It's fine. I should...I should go so my parents don't have to worry." Before she could get up, she hugs her friend tightly. "...I know it'll get better for you and that you can stop this. I have that much faith in you."

"You don't...Fear me?"

"...How can I? Even if you're different than me or a different you, you're still Ashley Jacobs, someone I still care for no matter what happens to you." She says to him, expressing her feelings before smiling and getting up. "I'll...See you soon."

He nods before he takes off, leaving him alone again so he can take the call. "Hello?"

"Ashley?" The mother asks.

"Hey Mom..."

"Can you...Where are you?"

"On top of the complex."

"Can you...Please come home?"

Feeling that he really needs any support he can right now, for the first time in a while, he does what she says. "Yeah, I'll be there." He cuts of the contact, gets up, and jumps off the building so he safely land on the ground and walk to the front entrance.

When he started towards the door, multiple Marine soldiers watched him from the top of a nearby building, with one using a decive in his ear. "He's been seen entering into a building. Send assistance immediately."

* * *

 _ **Time: 8:25 PM**_

After opening the door to his own home, Ashen walks in with his hood still up to see his mom sitting at the kitchen table waiting for him, which she took notice of. "...Why aren't you at work? You should be there right now." He asks while closing the door.

"...How can I when I know of what my son's become?" She asks while also getting up to walk towards him so she can have a good look at him. "...Show me...Show me what happened to you..." He wasn't entirely sure what she meant, but he decided to turn his arms into the Claws so he can show her, depressing her that her own son is now like the two PROTOTYPES. "...Ashley..." She hugs him tightly around his neck, with him gently hugging back while turning his arms back to normal. "I'm sorry...I didn't know they would make you like this..."

"...They didn't do anything aside from having Blacklight...I did this to myself...And now the virus is spreading." He says before he let go and backed away. "...Gentek is after me, and maybe Luke and Zoe since they were hit by Blacklight too." He shakes his head while griping his fists. "...I can't stay here. Not while they're after me."

They stay silent for a while until Haley came in with a toy in hand. "Mommy, my toy doesn't work anymore!" She walks toward her to show it but stopped when she saw Taylor with tears in her eyes. "Mommy, what's wrong?"

Deciding to answer, the teen crouches down to meet her level. "...Your...Big Brother has to go for a while. Stuff is happening and I want you to be safe."

"Safe? From what?"

"From...Me."

She was about to ask again, but there was a sudden loud knock on the door. "Miss Jacobs! Open up! We know Ashley Jacobs is in there! Open this door or else!" A muffled voice said, showing it was from the military.

Knowing this was officially his time to go, he looks at his mom. "...I have to go. Please...Take care of yourself and Haley until it's all over."

She nods to this. "...You take care of yourself too." They hug each other one last time, but not the final time.

"Now...Stand back. This might get a bit wild." He says to her, with her doing do while he walks to the door with his fist prepared. Suddenly, he opens the door and punches one of the Marines at the door in the face, with him seeing there was a group of them at his door. "Here I am!"

"There he is! Fire at will!" Using the machine guns they have, they start shooting at him while he guns away, dodging any of the bullets that flew right near him. He goes down the stairs but sees more soldiers there now. Knowing he has no choice of getting through them and he'll have to repeat what he did before, he morphs his arms into the four-fingered claws, one of those being a thumb, and slashes through some of them to kill and cut them into pieces while those who weren't armed kept shooting and blood flying everywhere. To clear some room for him to get him out of here he was at, he grabs one of their heads. "OH FUCK! HE'S GOT M-" Before the soldier could finish, he was thrown towards another Marine, knocking and rolling them down the stairs.

Using the space he has, he quickly runs down the stairs so he can get to the first floor, and those who saw him using his powers were scared to death. Ashen just ignores them and barges out, seeing multiple soldiers of both the Marines and Blackwatch at the outside with their Assault Rifles ready to shoot with. The sight of him made them prepare their guns and start shooting at him, which made him react by jumping away and hide behind a car for cover, with each and every bullet hitting the car and going through the metal of vehicle, some even hitting and shooting him. Knowing he has to get rid of them somehow, he looks at what he was hiding behind to give him an idea; He gets up and, using his enhanced strength, picks it up and throws it at the ones shooting at him, causing them to dodges as fast as they can.

Since they stopped shooting, this gave him the advantage to run over and take them down by stabbing them with his razor claws to instantly kill them. Any of the recovered ones begun to shoot at him, but he blocked some using his bladed hands before leaping and cutting off the soldiers head. Needing to get a move on, he runs away from the area of the complex so he can escape and not get anyone killed that's innocent, running as fast as he could through the streets while multiple helicopters from the two military units.

"Target has been located in East of Manhattan. Deploy backup, over." One of the pilots said.

"10-4. Standby for deployment."

He keeps running while also seeing the helicopters behind him, figuring out on what to do to get rid of them. Using his speed, he runs faster before getting to a building and runs on it while one of his claws was leaving marks on it. He was about to sprint to get on top of the building, but multiple shots of bullets start to come at him, seeing that Blackwatch soldiers were inside to shoot him down. He planned to ignore them until one took out a Rocket Launcher and shot at him, which he didn't take notice of until it was near him, and reacted quickly by grabbing it. Though doing that just made the rocket take him with where it was aiming, making him let it go so he can land on the streets.

Knowing this was going to be a problem for him, he needed to take down that specific one before he could take out the other. He looks at his right arm, he wonders on if what his idea was would work, so he gave it a try; He attempts to change his right arm into something else, and does it successfully. The new weapon he crafted was Black arm with the Red glowing veins and his hand that lead to his chest was now holding three razor sharp hooks on it. Using one of the new powers he gained from defeating the Brawler at the school, Whipfist, he prepares it and yanks his arm toward it, extending his arm to hit one of the parts of the chopper, then stops the stretching and reels himself in.

Once near, he gets himself attached to it and punches the blades of the chopper, disabling its flying. "Oh my fucking god...He took out the blades! HE TOOK OUT THE FUCKING BLADES!" The flying vehicle then started falling down, with Ashen no longer wanting to stay near it and jumped off so he can run away from the explosion the fall created, which stuns everyone and gives him the opportunity to escape and run as fast as he can. "He's escaping through unit 56, 31! Requesting back up!"

He keeps on running as fast as he can through the streets, but when he crosses a road, he was hit and run over by one of the military trucks, taking him with where it was driving until it stopped, causing him to fall and roll over, but he quickly got up while more soldiers got off with their guns ready. He saw this and looked behind him after hearing the sound of something coming near, which was a tank. Knowing he has to take care of it first, he decides to turn his own arm back to normal, making them think he's surrendering. Instead, he uses the Biomass to form his arms into Black ones with large fists with the Red veins that also lead to his chest. Seeing this made them instantly fire at him, but he uses his new power, Hammerfist, to smash his hands into the ground, causing a large crater and shockwave to send back the military and the vehicles all except for the tank. When he was done, he looks and runs toward the large metal vechicle so he can punch it, leaving a dent into it, and keeps doing so more and more before it was destroyed by an explosion, destroying anyone inside.

Once he finished it off, he grabs the cannon part of the remains and prepares it. "Wait...He's doing something with that. W-What is he-" His question was answered when it was thrown at the last chopper. "Oh my god! MAYD-" Before he could finish, the aircraft was destroyed and sent down into the ground, possibly killing anyone that was inside.

When he finally finished it off, he turns his arms back to normal and runs off and through the screaming crowd, not just by what happened. But also by the infection slowly but surely spreading.

* * *

 _ **Infected Population - 9%**_  
 _ **Time: 1:48 AM**_

On top of one of the biggest buildings in New York Zero, Ashen was watching what was happening to the city, for some parts of it were in flames and smoke due to the infection of Blacklight. Seeing everything before him was putting him into a bit of sadness, but he wondered on what he was going to do so that the infection would be put to a stop. "This is getting worse, slowly but surely...Just...What can I fucking do?"

"The only answer is us, something Gentek created." A familiar voice said, making the Black haired teen's Brown eyes widen to see the source of it; Luke, for he was now wearing a Brown leather jacket with a Black shirt, Blue jeans, and his Black shoes and fingerless gloves. With him was Zoe, who was wearing a Yellow shirt with a same colored Punk skirt and Black thigh high boots.

"L-Luke! Zoe! You're alright!"

She smiles. "I'm so glad you're alright Ashy." His girlfriend walks over and kisses him, which makes him smile.

"Where were you guys? I thought you guys were infected and turned into-"

"Into one of those fuckin' things that attacked the school? Far from it." His friend explains, and shows it by changing his arm into a Claw, showing he's a PROTOTYPE like him, with the Red haired girl doing the same. "...Think about it, A.J. Gentek is the fuckin' reason this shit has even happened again. Wanna know on what I think they're doin'? The ONLY reason that the remains of Blacklight was even around was so they could RELEASE it and make them look like heroes, just like the last two fuckin' times! We NEED to stop those assholes Ash, because if what I'm sayin' is true then they can just make look worse. And when it does, it'll make it look like bigger heroes than before." After listening to this, it somewhat made sense to him. "...Let's join forces Ash. With the three of us, we can save this city from being how it was again. We don't need Gentek to show they can do it and we're monsters to them, let's prove 'em wrong. "

Knowing that he has to be right about it, he nods. "Alright, I'm in. So what should I do first?"

"Get into Gentek or Blackwatch. That way, if you know on all ya can do, you can get into whatever the hell they're doin'. Once we do, we'll all get to work on it."

"Right...I'll get on that." He looks at his lover with a nod, having her do the same since they know they'll be seperated again, and starts to leave, but looks at him before doing so. "...My family and Rachel..."

"Yea, yea. Don't worry. I've already got a hideout for myself, so I can keep 'em there. They'll be safe with me. Just get to work on it." The Black haired boy nods and jumps off so he can start gliding away due to his body being light because of him being nothing but Biomass. But when he started to get away from him, both the teens smirked.


	8. Day 4 - Becoming Your Enemy

**_Tuesday  
October 17, 2062_**

 ** _Day 4 - Infected Population: 12%  
Gentek - Time: 9:01 AM_**

 _"That was at least the idea of what me, Luke, and Zoe were planning to do. We figured that sooner or later Gentek would just make a cure to the virus they kept so they might have used it later on. It all made sense. They release it, get a few blocks infected, and then arrive to save the day. It was the perfect plan. The perfect crime. Gentek was low enough to use a fucking town as an experiment for the first version of Blacklight, so it was at least expected for them to do something like this. We knew that in order to stop things from getting worse from the hands of people like Laker, I needed to stop all of his plans and kill him. Then I could take saving this city into my own hands the right way...But it got worse. A lot worse. More than I imagined...Especially when I came across someone like me."_

Near the building of Gentek, it was filled with multiple Blackwatch soldiers near the area of the building with tanks on the inside, and other on the outside keeping watch of anything usual. Near the large building was Ashen, who was looking at the guarded area within the darkest part of the alleyway so he wouldn't be seen. Wondering on how he can get in without getting caught or start any attention, he looks around to find anyone he can use to get inside, seeing a group of marines patrolling the streets instead of police officers since they were excused due to the infection of Blacklight. He knew on how to do it, so he turned himself into Quinton and entered into the crowd so he can be near the soldiers, which were a group of three, and once he did he grabbed one of them so he could consume and obtain the form of him.

Once the form was taken, and the memories even though they hold no value to him, he returns back to his Blonde-haired form and starts walking away with some parts of the crowd. After a few seconds, the other two soldiers in Green noticed. "Say, wasn't there another guy with us?" One asked, with the other taking notice and saw that he was no longer there. Meanwhile, the PROTOTYPE walks into a nearby alleyway so he can switch out to being a Marine and walks toward the metal mesh gates that's being guarded, then he puts his hand on the padlock since he could copy both looks and DNA, and is accepted inside. Once in, he goes inside the building while also passing some of the scientists and Blackwatch.

While doing so, he dials on his cellphone and attempts to call Luke. "Alright Luke, I'm in. What should I do?"

"A'right, so there's bound to be some of either Randon's or Laker's Commanders that he trust more than anyone in Blackwatch. Find on which one you think is the best one to consume and take that asshole's form. That way you'll be given full access to not only on what that piece of shit has to offer in his memories, but you can take his form and be given instant trust from Randon." He explains. "There should be files of him somewhere, but the thing is Marines aren't given that much access, except for anyone in Gentek or in Blackwatch themselves. What form are you in?"

"A Marine."

"A'right, then just take some shithead's form and be done with it. We have to figure out on what the hell they're planning to do."

He understands and cuts off contact so he can focus on the objective. The teen walks through the halls while still in his Marine disguise, but keeps walking until he comes across a group of the Black Ops soldiers, which catches his attention until he immediately stops and grabs him to consume him, gaining the form but also caused a muffle, which caught their attention. "Robinson! What's up with ya?"

"Huh?" He asks until he remembers the memories he gained. "O-Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. My bad." They keep staring at him until they all keep walking, but he just went the other way and gets an understanding of the layout in the building. He walks into one certain room that holds files in it and starts looking through them all. "Let's see...Commanders...Commanders." After a long search, he finally finds one that caught his interest; Gerald Harver. "Gerald Harver, one of the four commanders that's mainly a part of what Randon's in. So if he's with Randon, then he must know a lot of what Laker's up to." After finding the name, he calls his friend up again. "Luke, I found someone. Goes by the name of Gerald Harver. Heard of him?"

"Gerald Harver? I heard he was a war hero around five years ago during a war around the second Afghanistan War, same war your dad died in, after the caused some shit. He was a part of the Marines before he got into Blackwatch I'm guessing. To be honest, I never would'a thought someone like him would be in Blackwatch of all the shitholes he could be in. A'right, just find him. Should be easy."

"Right, on it. By the way...Luke? How's my family and Rachel? Are they ok?"

"Yea, they're fine. Don't worry 'bout them, a'right? Just focus on findin' that asshole first. Wouldn't be a point in worryin' them if they're already gone because of that goddamn virus."

He nods and starts walking out of the room and outside of the building so he can get to an alleyway for the third time to return back to his normal form and runs on top of a building so he can get a good view. But when he did, Orange suddenly covered his vision, changing the world around him before it disappeared. "What...What just happened?" It occurs again, but more natural to him. "What...Is this?" He looks around with this new vision until he sees someone in the distance in the north of Manhattan, which should be impossible for him to see since he's in the East. "This is fucking weird...It's like I have a...Hunting vision or sense..." Not sure on how to react to this, he runs after to where this person is.

* * *

 _ **Time: 10:45 AM**_

Within a large group of the soldiers of Blackwatch soldiers, they started shooting down any of the Infected civilians, which were like normal people but looked much more morbid than usual while they tried eating other beings so they can be like them. While they attempted to do such a thing, they were all easily gunned down while the commander in the group, who was wearing Black armor with Yellow markings on the body and wore a gas mask-like mask with Blue eyes on it. After taking it down, he just whistled in his own impression. "Wooo doggies! Nothin' like killin' some fuckin' infected munchers!"

"...You know Harver, those 'muncher's' were people like us." One said.

"And now they ain't. So what does it matter now?" He asks back, then just scoff. "C'mon boys, we've still got more killin' to do if we wanna keep their numbers down before that meetin'."

They all keep moving so they can kill anymore of the infected innocent, Walkers, while Ashen heard every bit of it. "...War hero my fucking ass...This guy deserves every big of what's coming to him!" Seeing nobody was nearby, he comes out into the open, turns his arms into Claws, and rushes toward them while yelling, which catches their attention and prepare to shoot him, which he stops some of them from doing so by leaping and clawing their bodies in half while the others begun shooting.

"FUCKIN' HELL! IT'S JACOBS!" He presses one of the communicators on his ear. "Jacobs is here in North Manhattan! Get your sorry asses over 'ere! NOW!"

While getting shot, he ignores the pain he's going through and quickly slashes their hands off before their necks. Once he settled killing all of them, he slowly walks toward the commander and changes his arms into the Whipfist so he can grab his arm. "You're coming with me Harver! You've got something I want!"

Hearing this, he laughs. "...Keep on dreamin' ya little ungrateful emo shit." After saying this, something shocking happened; The former war hero's arms then turned into Black arms that hold spiked gauntlets and Dark Red glowing veins, which he uses to brush off the hooked grip on his arm with a backhand, which hurt the Black haired teen. "Ya think you're the only one that's fuckin' special? You don't know shit lil guy! I'm just gettin' started with ya!"

When he sees this, he's put into shock. "No...No fucking way...That's impossible..." Even thought it was in front of him, the infected commander rushes toward him with a smile on his face and laughing so he could punch him quickly, hitting him while also leaving trails of where the spikes impaled his skin, then started to quickly punch him without a single moment of letting up, which caused the boy to not being able to escape from the barrage of attacks he was given while parts of Biomass started to come out, despite the attacks being weak. Needing to escape, he uses the elastic part of his weapon to swing it at his torso quickly, hitting and making him stop momentarily. Using the time he has now, he turns his arms into the Claws once more. "You're going to get it you sneaky motherfucker!"

He swings the talons at him, but Gerald stops it quickly due to the fast speed the gauntlets hold, having the both of them clash with one another through the blades that make their weapons. "Oh am I really, kido? Well you're about to get it yourself! You could have been like me! Like him! But you're not! And you're gonna have to die for that kido!" He lets go of the claw and attempts to punch him in the stomach, but he was able to dodge it fast enough that he wouldn't get hit, but he uses this time of him doing so to let go of the other one and punch him there, fazing and stunning him long enough to be uppercut into the face, sending him upward. Once he was in the air, he takes a hold of his feet and is soon to slam him down.

Reacting quickly, he turns his own arms into the powerful Hammerfists, which not only weighed him down, but also the Evolved Commander being to heavy for him to smash him down onto the ground. With his mighty hands now on the ground, he uses them as support so he can jump back up to his feet by flipping over, despite it being hard for him since the large arms were hard for him to lift. Using the heaviness to his advantage, he runs toward him with his fists prepared for him to swing, and does so while the one with the gauntlets quickly blocks it, but due to the disadvantage of it being weaker compared to other weapons, it was too much for the commander to take, forcing him down onto the ground.

He tries to get up until Ashen suddenly grabs him by the neck harshly to the point of it where he wasn't breathing due to the powers he was using. "...Who's the one that's fucking special, huh?"

"S-Still...Still me!"

"...Wrong." He throws him down onto the ground and starts slamming his fists into the now dead soldier's face, crushing it while also consuming his entire body, giving him his body and memories.

 **"Alright boys, now listen up! We have four squads in all directions of Zero, all split up into tens that holds groups of six. Kill as many Infected casualties as you can just long enough! And return here at Gentek at twelve hundred hours for all Commanders to particiapte!" Randon says while in a meeting with the other leaders. "Any questions?!" There were none. "Now gets your asses into gear!"**

 **"Sir!"**

Once the memories disappeared, he knew on what he needed to do; There was a meeting with all other Commanders at noon, and he needed to be there to understand on what's happening. At the same times, the large Biomass fists were being covered in the tendrils that consumed him, changing it into the spiked gauntlets, Spikes, to make it one of his now four powers. "...Oh hell fucking yes." He stares at them with a pleased smile until he notices multiple choppers and tanks moving in his way while dropping down both Marines and Blackwatch soldiers, then someone that stuck out the most; It was a man in a full-body titanium metal that has multiple tubes attached to the back. When he appeared, he slowly walks over to the PROTOTYPE. "...I'm guessing you're suppose to be the recent version of that Super Soldier bullshit or whatever?"

"Yeah, that's right. And after what YOU just caused in Gentek, you're at the top of my hit list! You got my family killed BECAUSE of you! And you...You're gonna get it!"

"...Then come and get it if you have the balls to." Wanting to intimidate him, he smirks. "...That would explain how your family got killed as quickly as they did." This made the Super Soldier snap and yell loudly while throwing a fist at him, but it was quickly stopped and, to everyone's surprise, he uses the back of his hand to suddenly amputate his arm from the elbow, even after going through the strongest metal to exist. This causes him to scream loudly before the punches the young man delivered into the stomach cut through the armor and the skin, stunning him, which also gave Ashen the time to turn his arms and fists back to Hammer fist so he can grab through the shreds of the supposed 'strongest' metal and rips him into two pieces, even breaking the spine.

Seeing this causes all of the soldiers within the tanks and outside with their assault rifles to start shooting at him, which he sees and starts running toward some and smash their faces with the large fists so he could get through it as fast as he could, but the missiles from the tanks started to overwhelm him with both fighting and trying to not get hit at the same time. However, he was glad when something coincidental occurred for him; Within the ground, a large Pink snake-like monster that can split sideways and teeth in the tounge came through it and screeched after opening the mouth.

"OH FUCK! IT'S A HYDRA! SHOOT IT DOWN!" A soldier yelled while all of their focus was put onto that since they were a much bigger issue now since it was a bigger part of the infection, which also gave the PROTOTYPE the opportunity to make a break for it and run away so he can leave it to them.

With him finally escaping, he runs up the building and uses the now deceased Commander's looks for his disguise. But when he did, he starts calling Luke to inform him. "...Luke, I did it. He's a part of me. And there's going to be a meeting for all the Commanders around noon. It should be about their plans."

"Good, nice to know that's one less person to worry about."

"Yeah, but he was different. He had powers...Like us."

"What? You're shittin' me. Ash, there were people like that during the second Blacklight outbreak, and it's from someone in Blacklight too! If Gentek was was really keeping Blacklight like that, then...That'd only mean two things; Either they're THAT fuckin' low to do that, or someone that had Blacklight before caused this again and he just happens to be a follower."

"...Well that asshole did say something that I could have been like 'Him'. Maybe that's who it is?"

"I dunno, but I'd just focus on gettin' info. We need every bit of it."

He nods. "Yeah...Right." He cuts off the call and makes his way back to the Gentek building so he can get to the meeting.


	9. Day 4 - Finding the Source

**_Infected Population: 15%  
Gentek - Time: 11:53 AM_**

 _"I didn't think it was possible. That someone that was like me would be around during the times of the infection. This really meant two things; Either Gentek was behind it or someone with Blacklight in his control was doing this. I thought...No, I knew Luke wouldn't do it. There would be no way...It had to be someone else. I thought maybe if it was someone that was monster like me, but there was a guess I had...Where it could have been James Heller since he's the only one like me, Luke, and Zoe. But nobody heard of him since he killed Alex Mercer fifty year ago. It couldn't have been...Not after more than a decade. But it was a guess, it wasn't true. Either way, I had to stop it before it got worse because the virus can spread quickly. But it started getting worse...Much worse. But at the same time...There was at least a way to stop it."_

Still using the looks of the Commander, Ashen was gliding from building to building until he finally made his way to the building of Gentek, with him landing at the end of one of the walls and walked towards the front gate, with the Blackwatch soldiers taking notice and saluting him, which he does the same and enters into the area to see the squads from other parts of Manhattan back here with the other commanders.

When they saw him, one of the other ones walked to him. "Jesus Christ Harver, I thought you got killed by that asshole named Jacobs."

 _"Time to see if copying his voice works too."_ He thought to himself. "'Course I did ya goddamn idiot! Ya really think I'd die by some lil bitch like Jacobs? He doesn't have the fuckin' balls to kill me."

"I swear, that ego of yours is gonna get the best of you one of these days. But...At least your alive. What about your squad? Are they all really dead?"

"...Yea, they did. Best buncha soldiers I ever had to work with."

Just when they were about to continue, all of their communicators went off. "Meeting's in five minutes boys! Get it in gear!" They all took this warning and head inside the building to participate in the meeting.

* * *

 _ **Time: 12:00 PM**_

Alongside all the other commanders, they all head to the meeting room that they're suppose to meet Randon in, with them seeing their Colonel there alongside Dr. Laker. "Geetings gentlemen, glad those who survived made it." They all sat down except for the lead scientist. "We've got both good and bad news, but whatever you four wish to here hear first we'll start from there."

"Good."

"Bad, Colonel."

"Bad."

"Just get the bad over with, Colonel." This disguised one said.

"Alright, so the bad news is rather obvious; The virus is spreading. Faster than we thought it where there have been hives around the city producing more of these things, more to the point where those things that attacked that school are popping up like fucking weeds."

"And of the good news? Anythin' on that?"

The scientist smiles and nods. "Yes, and we're about to get onto that. For the past few days, a cure is now in development and is soon to be completed. But the bad news is the problem. If the infection spreads long enough, then I won't have enough time to make it."

"Yes, that's right. And that where you and all of your squads come in. Destroy as many hives as you can to help buy us a bit of time for the cure to be made. That's your mission. There's a good amount of them. One in the Brooklyn Museum, Times Square, and the Cathedral High School. Anything you boys wanna say?" They said nothing. "...Alright, dismissed!"

All of the other commanders were leaving, except for Ashen while he just stood there, wondering. "...Yo, er...Laker!" This catches his attention. "...Why's this Blacklight shit all around anyway?"

"Harver, it's best if you just keep yourself out of official-" The colonel was saying.

"No, Colonel Roland, it's fine. I don't mind." He says to him before sighing. "...Scientists after the last outbreak found a piece of Blacklight and planned to use it for a bioweapon to use it against both Mercer and Heller, but it was stopped because of the virus in the destroyed half of Manhattan disappeared. Nobody knew on what happened to it, and so I decided to do what anyone else back then wouldn't do. Make it into something different...But I made the mistake of letting it out on accident...Now I want nothing more than to save this city. People may want to see me as some sort of...Hero or villain...But that matters none to me. If my family and others live through this, then it's all that matters."

After listening this, he just stood there thinking of something; There was no way Laker would have been one to want to cause this. Somehow, he knew it and realized he was different than all of them. Knowing this, he nodded. "...A'right. I get ya. Sorry to distract ya." He walks off and starts calling Luke while returning his voice back to normal. "Luke, I made it into the meeting. They're making a cure at the moment to stop the infection."

"Yeah...Just as fuckin' planned. Did ya kill Laker though? He's the reason for-"

"Yeah...He may have caused it...But not on purpose. Luke, I don't think he's the one we're after. I think...Maybe we should spare enough time for him to make the cure and stop the hives making this thing."

"...You're shittin' me, right A.J? Do you even fuckin' KNOW on what these assholes did before?! They caused-"

"I think Laker's different than them! I didn't believe it at first, but...I think he might be the only one that can stop this infection and put us back to normal!"

"And if it doesn't work?"

"If he's serious about it, then it will! Trust me on this, Luke!"

After a few seconds of silence, he growls followed by a sigh. "...A'right, fine. We'll go with what you're sayin'. We'll destroy a few of the hives in the city. You know where some of them are?"

"Only in the Cathedral High School, Brooklyn Museum and Times Square. That's all I know."

"Gotcha. I'll get on over to Times Square and send Zoe over to the Museum. You handle the school. And Ashen? You better be fuckin' right about this shit."

He nods. "I hope so too." He makes it out of building, goes into a corner so he can return to his normal form, and quickly makes his way to the school.

* * *

 _ **Cathedral High School - Time: 12:57 PM**_

After running through the streets and jumping from building to building for a good amount of time, he finally stops when he gets near the school to see the looks of it now; Most of the building was now destroyed, outside of the damage that was caused with the Brawler attack, it was worse than before while large bubbles of Biomass and large tendrils covering parts of the building while multiple soldiers of the Marines and Blackwatch around it with tanks near them while some entered into it shooting, with a few screams of pain following.

When he arrived, he called his friend. "Luke, I made it. But it looks pretty bad, especially if the military are in there trying to get past it. How should I handle this?"

"Blackwatch and the Marines will just get in your way of trying to destroy the hive. Get rid of 'em, but focus on destroying it yourself. They don't have the power to destroy it compared to you. However ya wanna do it, JUST destroy that thing!"

He nods and jumps off while turning his arms into the Claws, and runs toward the entrance while it caught their attention and started to fire, with him either cutting off their arms or head to dispose of them quickly so they wouldn't be a problem to him, but one particular soldier had a grenade launcher in hand and shoots it at him causing an explosion, which literally blows up a part of his body and torso, revealing a few bones of his rib cage and his skull. Angry while also causing the one who shot it to be put in fear due to thinking it would work, he grabs the soldier and covers him in tendrils to consume him, making him easily regenerate all of the wounds on him.

With the ones in the front done, the tanks started to fire at him, which he avoids by running into the school hallways while within then were infected students and staff that still went to school regardless of what happened, along with soldiers that tried to get through but met their demise. To get through them, he uses the claws to rapidly slash through the groups of Walkers as fast he could to get to the center of the hive that's producing more of the monsters. After going through hallway to hallway to find the source, he comes across the gymnasium to see it was much different than before; It was filled with tendrils and on the floor and walls were womb-like objects all around while one of them opened up to create a Brawler Hunter, with another following suite.

He witnessed it with wide eyes. "Jesus fucking Christ...So that's what making these fucking things." Knowing he has to destroy them, he charges at one Pustules that's creating the beasts until one of the hunters lunged towards him, which he sees and was to slowly to react, which resulted in him falling down onto the ground with the beast on top of him, which he reacts to it by stabbing his razor sharp fingers into its chest, causing it to screech in pain and weaken it enough for him to push it off and start slashing it quickly and relentlessly, but the beast eventually counters it by swinging its arms away from the claws, sending him backwards to strike him in the chest and send him backwards rolling, which he recovered quickly while the second Brawler lunged towards him to stab grab a hold of him so it can eat his head off, but he quickly changes his arms into the Hammerfist and slowly but powerfully hitting and sending it into one of the old by active lights, electrocuting but stunning it momentarily.

With that one dealt with for the moment, the first beast rushes to him on all fours, with him reacting by preparing both of his large fists and slams it down onto the ground, sending a shockwave to stall it long enough for him to turn his arms into the single Whipfist and stabs the hook into one of their arms so he can yank it off, causing it to screech in pain while also stunning it. Using the available time he has, he shoots the elastic weapon towards at least two out of the five Infected Pustules so more wouldn't come out, but when he did the one armed beast roared loudly and rushed towards him while clawing with the only arm left, which he reacts by changing his recent weapon into the Claws again and claws off the arm from the elbow, disarming it.

All he had to deal with was the last Brawler, which was smoked and burned badly and was weaker than usual. To finish it off, he turns his blades hands into the Spikes so he can quickly uppercut the face, cutting it in half and killing it. Finally finishing it, he turns the fists into larger ones and starts taking down the womb-like objects so they would no longer be in his way. When he was about to destroy the last one, it suddenly erupted and send him back to reveal a new kind of infected; It was Greyish and held large fists, like him, but has an obese body a broken jaw, and very stubby legs. Seeing this made him groan. "Oh my god! Just come the FUCK on!"

Needing to defeat it, he attacks it with the Spikes after changing his arms head on, but to his surprise, they didn't cut through it and did no damage like it was like a shield, which it reacted by smashing his fists toward him, but was able to dodge it just barely, and started attacking with his Claws as well, but they did the same results. And as they same as before, the new beast, the Juggernaut, slammed the large fists down at him, only this time he reacted by changing his arms into the Hammerfists again, causing the two large fists to clash with each other, but still did no damage to him. He was no wondering on what he could do to defeat it before more of infected like this until he noticed the back, which wasn't shielded compared to the front. Using all of his strength, he pushes the arms away and jumps behind him while changing his arms into the bladed hands and stabs it into the back, causing it to roar and start swinging the large fists around to get him off, but the Ashen just keeps hanging onto to the back until he grabs the elbow and yanks it backwards, causing it to come off with blood flowing out. With this opening made, he stabs both of his hand into it with the Hammerfists made and tears the body into two halves while tendrils covered the body and into his.

Doing this causes the Black haired teen to grip onto his head in pain before his left hand then forms something for him; A large and Black sinister shield with Dark Red glowing veins on his forearm. "Oh hell yes...Now I can kick some serious ass!" Using the only available fist, he destroys the last pustule while more soldiers came in after a tank blasts through the walls with rocket launchers prepared. He sees this and smirks. "C'mon! Do it if you can!" Multiple rockets shoot at him, which he reacts by sending it back by tilting it so it can be deflected, killing those in the radius.

This however, caught some of the Infected's attention and started going near them, killing some of the soldiers of the Marines and Blackwatch while others came to Ashen to bit into him, to which he gets rid of the Shield and turns his arms into Claws and stabs them so he could consume them just to easily deal with them. However, the more he consumed, the more sluggish he became and begun to slow down greatly, which causes him to grip his chest in pain and gets on his knees. Afterwards, he grips onto his harshly while screaming in pain and tendrils swishing around until the unexpected happened; All of the tendrils around and in him all suddenly shot out into a Tendril Barrage, killing all of those near him, and also destroying the tanks nearby and the entire school building.

Within the ruins, the PROTOTYPE rises up from the remains, seeing what he did. "Holy shit...Did I just...Do that?" Seeing a few choppers coming by, he gets up from the debris. "Fuck...Better go." He blasts through it and runs away as fast he can so he wouldn't be seen, but when he finally does, he calls up Luke. "Luke, I'm done over here. That should help slow down everything for a while. How are things on your end?"

"Fuck...A.J, I did what I could but those fuckin' egg things just kept coming up after destroyin' another. I did what I could, but at least what you did was able to make an impact to help make that...'Cure' Laker's promisin'. So just lay low until that's finished. I'll stay with the family and friends to keep watch until Zoe comes back to help out."

"Yeah...I will. Sooner or later, we'll be normal again, Luke. You, me, and Zoe."

"Yeah, and I can't wait for that. So...See you once it's done."

"Yeah, I will." He cuts off the call and was about to put it up, but he gets another call from someone, which took him by surprise; Rachel. "Rachel? What is it she wants?" Not wanting to ignore her, he answers. "Hello?"

"A-Ashley?" Rachel asks while there was a large interference. "Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here, what is it? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine! But please listen to me! Don't get near Luke! He's dangerous to you!"

This confused him. "Don't be near him? He's not THAT big of a danger, Rachel. I think you're overreacting a bit."

"I'm not overreacting Ash! I know what I'm taking about! We all do! Why...Why can't you just listen to me for once?! Why can't- O-Oh no."

Afterwards, there was a large sound of rumbling on the other side. "Rachel? Rachel?" The call was cut on him, which put him into question. "...I hope they're alright." His worry then fades away quickly and he starts walking, confident that both his friend and girlfriend are watching over them well enough and they should be safe enough.

* * *

 _ **Infected Population - 19%  
Gentek - 2:47 AM**_

Back at the building, Dr. Laker was within a lab testing through multiple samples of Blacklight that was captured, with him putting a small White mist into the substance within a glass container, seeing the virus within it dying off, showing the cure was a success. "This is excellent! It...Works!" He was happy by this accomplishment, but he hears a rattle in the same room, surprising him. "H-Hello?" He looks around to see if anyone was there with him until he was suddenly grabbed by someone in the shadows, revealing it was the same person who caused the Brawlers to attack the school. But who it was to the scientist shocked him. "Y-You're..."

 _"...If you want to do good to your city, you have to do everything I say..."_ The voice said.


	10. Day 5 - The Real Traitor

**_Wednesday  
October 18, 2062_**

 ** _Day 5 - Infected Population: 24%  
Gentek - Time: 8:34 AM_**

 _"I knew the cure would be soon, and it was being made while I waited. It took me a while, but I knew that Dr. Laker wasn't like everyone in Gentek back fifty years ago. He was going to stay true to saving this city, and to saving anyone that was infected in all of this, me included. I was ready to being a real and living person again, because it's all I wanted ever since I became this...But it call came at the wrong time...The time of where I finally woke up from my own stupidity. And the time...Of betrayal."_

Within the area of Gentek, while in a Blackwatch outfit after consuming someone at some point, Ashen was roaming with a machine gun in arms, pretending to do a patrol so he can blend into the crowd without anyone from the military or the scientists to be suspicious of him. But during the patrol, he was stuck in his own mind about what happened to him recently; The call from Rachel. It sounded like she was in trouble and panicking, which made him worried a bit but he knew both Luke and Zoe would take came of him while he wasn't there. After all, they were people he trusted.

He kept doing so until he was received an order for everyone in the military by Randon. "Attention all soldiers. I've come to inform you that the cure for the Blacklight virus is officially complete and will be deployed in three minutes. Standby for defense to those near the tower."

Hearing this, the young PROTOTYPE calls in for his friend. "Luke, the cure is about to be deployed. It's about to be over."

"That's good to here. It's not too long now Ash. Everythin' will be normal again."

"Yeah, the sooner it does the more I'll be glad to lose these powers and just be like how I was before. And Luke? How's my family and Rachel doing?"

"They're doin' fine. Why's that? Some shit goin' on that's makin' ya worried?"

"Well...Rachel called me. Told me some weird stuff...I...Didn't catch all of it." He says, half-lying to him.

"Really? Well I'll look into it. Just prepare for anythin' in case some sorta weird shit happens."

"Yeah, I will." He cuts off the contact and continues to blend in through doing his patrols, waiting for the call for the cure tospread so it can officially be over for him and everything else can return to how it was.

After waiting for a while for the cure to finally be out, he's received another statement from the Colonel. "Whitelight v2 is now about to be deployed. Standby." After a few seconds, both him and Laker came out of the large building to view what's to happen. "And this is really suppose to work?"

The lead scientist nods. "I has to. Because if this doesn't, then maybe New York Zero is just...Beyond saving." The young Black haired boy heard this due to him having superhuman hearing due to being a part of the virus, with him looking at the head of Blackwatch. "It's ready to be deployed when you are."

He nods and turns on a walkie-talkie on him. "Alright, deploy now!" After a good thirty seconds within a certain distance, a small but visible missile was shot into the sky just above the city, showing it was a cure that everyone was waiting for to spread around New York Zero while weather wise, it was starting to cloud up the sun and start to rain lightly. They were excited to see this and waited for the hell to be over, and when it finally reached up to a certain part in the air before it created a large shockwave to spread the misty substance to help cure everyone within the proximity of the entire city, but something was different; It wasn't White as expected. Instead, it was Dark Red, and instead of curing it started to infect, turning everyone that was in the area into Infected, which shocks him. "W-What?!"

"I-I don't understand! I did everything correctly! How could this-"

"You SAID this would work! Everything is worse!" He growls loudly and starts giving a command. "If there's anyone alive, fight off the infected as much as you want and need to! Red Crown, send in back up if there's any available left!" Then his sights are put onto the old man. "...And YOU'RE coming with me!"

He runs off inside alongside the doctor while covering his mouth, with Ashen seeing this while his anger grew and turned to his normal form while taking out his phone to inform his friend. "Luke, Laker lied to us. He fucking tricked us. He just made it worse instead of better."

"What? Fuckin' son of a bitch...I KNEW you couldn't trust a piece of shit from Gentek! A'right, I'm on my way with Zoe. I wanna get my hands on-"

"No. Stay there and look after my family and Rachel. I can't let something happen to them. I can handle Laker myself. I made the mistake of letting him go to do this bullshit...This time, I'm making him fix it, even if I have to do it myself."

"Ash-"

"JUST do it Luke! This isn't the time to argue about it! I'll talk to you when it's finally done!" By himself, he cuts off the call and puts it up while turning his arms into the Claws, to which he slashes through as many of the Infected as he could to get through it, but the soldiers of Blackwatch, which were the only soldiers left at this point, took notice and started shooting at him, hitting him with multiple bullets until just forms the arms into the single whip and swings it at all of them, cutting them in half since he didn't want to waste too much time with them.

Knowing he doesn't have much time left, he quickly runs in to see anyone that wasn't infected panicking due to the cure not doing what it was suppose to do, then started using his Hunter Sense to find Laker, who was going up the elevator alongside the Colonel while they tried making it to the top floor for an escape. Needing to get there before they could, he runs toward the stairs from the first to the second, third, fourth, and kept going till he got to the twenty-fifth floor, but along the way there were soldiers trying to shoot him down, to which he just uses the Shield power he holds to bash through them, making them either fall down and stumble on the stairs or make them fall over to their deaths in the center. Either way, they were finally out of his way.

When he made it to the twenty-sixth floor, the very first thing he saw was the elevator doors open to have the two in it running the stairs. "LAKER! YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD, YOU HEAR ME?!" He chases them down as fast as he could up the stairs until they made it to the twenty-seventh floor and went up one more, leading to the ladder that leads to a glass door on the roof, but the minute he saw it, he heard a locking noise. "You can FUCKING run all you FUCKING WANT! BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE LAKER!" He suddenly jumps and punches through the glass, shattering it while he saw a helicopter that Randon was getting onto through a ladder, with the head scientist seeing this in shock.

Knowing on what he had to do, he looks at the young White haired man. "Go! You're the commander of Blackwatch! We can't fight without you!" Staring at the old man in surprise, he nods and commands the pilot to fly off, which he does and leaves the two behind. Prepared to meet his fate, he stares at the young man with a smile. "...Hello again, Ashley Jacobs. It looks like you're much like both Alex Mercer and James Heller were before we stopped hearing from them."

"...Why did you do it, Laker? You said you wanted to save the city, even if you were seen as a fucking hero or villain! What the hell made you change your mind?! What about your family?! What about us?!"

"...Well you know on how it has to be. In order to be looked up to, sometimes you have to make large sacrifices to do so."

"...So you lied...Lied to me, my mom, and everyone else who FUCKING RESPECTED YOU! ALL FOR JUST BEING VIEWED HIGHLY?!" In rage, he forms his Claws once more. "...I shouldn't have let you life...But it's time to fix that, right?!" Yelling in anger, he rushes towards him and swings down the taloned arms, but it was countered by Black colored ax's that were arm shaped and held Red-Orange veins; Laker's arms, which shocked him. "You...You're a..."

"...Have you ever heard of theory of Survival of the Fittest, young man?" He pushes him away, causing Ashen to be taken back but recovers. "Where the weak die and the strong survive? It's time to figure out on who is fit to be the strong, and who is fit to be the weak. Who could it be?" He prepares his large arms and quickly runs toward the younger man so he can slash him, but he counters this with him grabbing them before it can go through him, but it briefly touched and penetrated his shoulders a bit. "...Oh?"

"...Yeah, FUCKING ME ASSHOLE!" He pushes him away and swings his four-fingered hands toward the Evolved, but he was able to dodge it quickly via a backflip and swings one of the arms toward him, which he blocks quickly before it hit him, but the other is towards him and was able to slash his chest, knocking him back and vulnerable to take more hits from him, clashing his body constantly until he counters it with turning his arms into Spikes and backhands the axes hitting him quickly, cutting them off while blood leaked out. "Doesn't feel so fucking good now, does it you old fuck?" Using the Biomass Laker has, even though he's suffering no pain, he recreates the weapons that makes his arms what they are now until he slides his foot against his, causing him to fall over on his back.

With him lying down, the old man walks toward him and prepares the arms. "Come now, Jacobs. You can't be this weak. You're a PROTOTYPE much like Mercer and Heller, hell maybe even more powerful than that!" He swings his ax-like limbs at him, to which he brings out his Shield and starts blocking attacks, causing one to not go through but uses the other arm to attack a weak point, which he uses the Hammerfists to block them since they have more durability. "Though it just proves that you're still yet a small disappointment of a child his whore of a mom left to work." His eyes widened by hearing that, making his anger rise greatly while each and every hit the shield he made took, the more it broke. "...As one with Blacklight, you'll never die or age...But I can still consume you to finish this once and for all." He prepares both of his ax's together for a stronger hit. "...It's time to finish this."

He swings them down, cracking and destroying the only means to defend but the large fists made of Biomass was able to top it, which he uses to push the bladed weapons backwards so he can harshly punch him in the face with all of the force the power delivers, wounding the face while it recovered using the substance that makes him to regenerate the wounds, but the constant barrage of slow yet heavy hits but kept coming and destroying the face, creating an loop of regenerating until he couldn't do it anymore since to do so, one need Biomass to do so, and each hit healed. Ashen noticed that the healing started slowing down until he finishes the attacks by preparing and adding more force while the lead scientist was trying to recover from the hit until he hit him where it really did hurt him; He punches at his stomach, going through it and creating a large hole, which also showed fragments of bone from his now destroyed spine.

Trying to heal it, he does it slowly in exchange for using his weapons, which leave him powerless while the teenager returned his arms back to normal and grabbed him by the neck, gripping onto it. "...Look who's the weakest one now."

Squirming, the old Evolved tries to find a way out, but gives up. "...But you won't like what you'll see."

"...I'll take my chances." The boy grabs onto where the wound was, then starts to cover it with tendrils before consuming it, also gaining his memories.

 **"Dr. Laker, sir? I have to ask something." A scientist asks him within his office.**

 **"Of course, go right ahead."**

 **"Just...Why? Why are you still keeping the remains of Blacklight? You know on what that stuff can so to someone. Think about if it got out."**

 **"Yes...I know of its history...But it's a risk I'm willing to take. This thing can change DNA and cells from what I read through the reports, yes? Think about it; We could change genetics and biological compounds in the body. We could prevent anything that's genetic if I can get enough research into it! We could stop Type 1 diabetes, Alzheimers, Autism, Down Syndrome, anything through the DNA! We could save people...Lives! So you...Understand what i'm saying, son?"**

 **"Yes, I do sir. But that could take a long time, who would want to continue what you're doing?"**

 **"I'm not sure...But I'll figure it out soon."**

 **Within another memory, Laker was grabbed and forced into a wall by someone in the shadows, who was the one who started the Brawler incident. "Y-You're..."**

 **He saw the face of who did it and that attacked him; Luke. "...If you want to do good to your city, you have to do everything I say. Put my blood into it since I'm infected."**

 **"A-And if I refuse?"  
**

 **"...Ya can't possibly refuse...Not from me." He covers the old man with tendrils and stabs it into him giving him the virus.**

After viewing the memories of Laker, Ashen just stood there with wide eyes and finally realized on what kind of person Luke is now, and of something else; Rachel was right, for she always was and he was too blind to see it. After a few seconds, he picks up and answers the phone without looking at it since he was in so much shock. "...Hello?"

"Ash? Finally, I got a hold of you!" The voice said, revealing it was Rachel.

"Rachel...You were right. You were always right...Why...Why the hell didn't I see it fucking sooner?" When he asks this, he begins to remember all of the stuff that the three of them did together, and realizes all he did before was all because he influenced him. "...I'm..." He sighs. "...Are you guys alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine! I'm with both your mom and sister right now! Luke and Zoe just kidnapped and held us there after you left...Saying if we tried anything he would kill us! H-He...They killed my mom and dad just to get to me...But...I'm fine. We're heading out to North of Manhattan, the old house I use to live in should be there. Around...Frederick Douglass Blvd around West 136th street. You know where it's at?"

"Y-Yeah...I do. I'll meet you there." He quickly puts up the phone so he can get there.

"...Goin' somewhere?" A familiar voice asks, which was about to make look with shocked yet angry eyes until he felt a sudden pain in his neck, seeing it was a syringe entering into his body with a liquid being put into him, causing him to scream in pure pain while getting on his knees and holding where he was stabbed. He slowly looks to who it was that did this; Luke, joined by Zoe. "...What's the matter A.J? I thought you could take pain better than that.

Even after getting stabbed he slowly slowly gets up despite the pain and sees that his very own girlfriend, was holding his best friends arm lovingly, showing she left him for the Brown haired boy; His own best friend. "Z-Zoe...You...You're leaving me f-for him?"

She smiles and shrugs. "...Well what can I say? I love it when people always show who's top dog. You...You just lose your place, just a mutt."

Then he looks at him. "W-Why...Are you...Doing this? How could you...Do something like this? To even...Your own friend."

"...Because your purpose is now over, and with asshole Laker, the only one who knew on how to make the cure, now gone and you're gonna become human lunch to the infected, nothin' will get in my way of getting full control of this city...It's mine now...And I'm officially the most powerful in this place. And NOTHIN' is gonna stop me. So...Just enjoy what ya got left." He turns and walks away with his now new girlfriend with him. "...See ya, Ashley." The two just jump off the building.

"W-Wait! FUCKING WAIT!" He tries to chase after them, but see's they're no longer there. At the same time, the pain coursed through his body from the neck, causing him to grip it tightly and fall off of the top building, making him land on the ground and destroy the cement, shocking all of the Blackwatch soldiers while he just got up in pain from both the substance and the fall, which made them start shooting at him. This caused him to take change his arms into the Claws, but they suddenly disappeared. "W-What's happening to me?! What did...WHAT DID LUKE DO TO ME?!" Seeing his powers weren't working as well anymore, he was left no choice but to run away from the building, with him feeling that the top speed he was able to be in slowly decrease, much like his powers and started to become a human again, which meant one thing; A cure was inside him.

* * *

 _ **Infected Population: 86%  
? - Time: 10:35 AM**_

"...So, Dr. Laker is either presumed either dead or missing, right?" Randon asks while in his office, sitting at the desk with a Blackwatch soldier.

"Yes sir, nothing is known of what happened." He said.

"I see...Well from the looks of it at the moment, Laker's plan for a cure has failed, and now this city has become nothing but an Infected Warzone. We need a new state of action."

"Um...Well, Colonel Randon, if I may..." He says while catching his attention. "...I'd like to make a recommendation for a plan of action." He takes out two files from his hand and places them on his desk, seeing they are two projects that held in Red bold letters 'Failed'; Projects Firebreak and Firehawk.

He stares at them until he nods. "...Call in a meeting on this."


	11. Day 5 - Recovery

**_Infected Population: 87%  
Fredrick Douglass Bvld - Time: 10:51 AM_**

 _"It was all because of me. If I wasn't so gullible to believe and follow Luke, then maybe he wouldn't have known when to stop the cure and maybe everything would be back to normal, but that isn't happening now. Now, the city's become nothing but an infected warzone while both him and Zoe are seizing control of everything. Every single chance of stopping them are gone, and I'm slowly losing the powers I have at the worst times because of him putting the remains of Whitelight into my body. There was just no way I could stop them now...Unless I had to get rid of it. My chances..."_

Still running away from the building of Gentek, Ashen is still running to the location he was needed in but he much slower than he did before while he still in pain from where he was stabbed into and passing through multiple Walkers, but he didn't bother with them due to his strength starting to dwindle more and more. When he finally made it to where he'll meet Rachel and his family, which was a small house that was at least three stories tall, he stops at the door and starts breathing heavily before knocking on the door.

"W-Who is it?" The voice within asked.

Knowing it was her, he tries to talk but is still trying to withstand the pain. "It's...It's Ashley."

By saying this name, the door opens to see the Black haired girl, who was still wearing her Black turtleneck and boots but now had Blue jeans with a pistol in hand. When she saw him, this relieved her. "Thank god you're ok." She quickly hugs him, which he does back ever so gently so he won't hurt her, then the two break it. "Get in. Both your mom and sister are here too."

Slowly gut surely, he walks in while she leads to the small apartment that holds his family, with them entering to see Taylor, who's just wearing a White dress up shirt and her Black business pants while Haley still wore her Blue dress. Seeing him, the sister smiles and runs up to her. "Ashley!" She instantly hugs him, with him slowly doing the same. "I knew you'd be with me and mommy again, you had to!"

The brother just smiles and nods in pain. "Y-Yeah...I had to." He gets up and looks at his mom now. "Hey Mom..."

"Are you ok? You look really hurt. Did something happen?"

"Yeah, you don't look like you're having fun." Rachel said. "What happened?"

Staring at them, he nods knowing he'll have to explain. "J-Just give me something to sit on. Doing just about anything with my arms or legs just hurt right now." By hearing this, his teenage friend quickly got one of the old but still working wooden chairs for him to sit onto, which he accepts. "T-Thanks. What happened is...I was infected with the cure to Blacklight, or at least what was left...L-Luke did it to me. I'm in so much pain right now and...I'm starting to lose my powers. But he...He tainted the cure Dr. Laker made to stop this but he just...Used him as a weapon and a pawn." He looks down now. "I wanted to be normal, but it hurt so much and...I can't be just a human again. Not...Not yet. I have to...Get them back somehow so I can stop him from doing anything else...And he's doing it right now because of...Because of me. Always tricking me while I was too stupid to realize it. I...Have to stop him before it gets worse." Then he looks at both his mom and friend. "...You two were right. You were always right about both Zoe and Luke...I was an dumbass to think otherwise...And...I'm sorry. For all the times I didn't listen and mistreated you guys. You...Deserved better."

They all share a moment of silence before his mother walks up to him and hugs him tightly. "Ashley...It's ok. I forgive you. We'll stop this somehow."

"Well is there a way to stop it? Both the infection and to help you? I mean...Dr. Laker's gone, right?" The teenager asks.

At that moment, Ashen remembered that he consumed him a while back, which means he now holds all of his memories. "...Yeah, there is. There's still time I think." Slowly, he gets up while withstanding the pain. "...Laker's a part of me, which means I have his memories on how to make Whitelight v2. If...If someone I could just figure out on how to use it to help benefit me and use it to stop this infection, all of this could stop. But...Luke and Zoe needs to be dealt with first out of everything, which means I need to get my powers back. But...I don't have the stuff to do it and on how to do that, both supplies and materials."

From that moment, the Black haired mother started thinking of something until she came to the conclusion that she needs to. "...I'll do it." This took the two teens by surprise. "I was a part of Gentek before I had you. I was focused more onto looking through substance to get an understanding of it so I can use it for the opposite effect, produce an antibody than anything. If you can get me the supplies and the sample from you needed to do it, then I can make the cure you need to cancel the one out of your body. You just tell me on all I need to make it, then I can do the rest."

"You can...Do that?"

"I was considered to be one of their best before I have to leave to take care of you. But...It was probably the best sacrifice I had to make, because I got to spend every waking moment feeding and taking care of you." She grips on his shoulder. "...Even as someone like Alex Mercer or James Heller, or no matter how many times you'll get into trouble, you're still my son. And I couldn't ask for someone that's more different than you."

Hearing this made him realize that no matter who or what he was, he was still her son, which made him hug her tightly, with her doing the same. "Thank you...I couldn't have asked for a better mom." He lets go and attempts to turn his right arm into the Claw so he could start marking the table, which scared Haley a bit knowing of what he just did, and begins writing down formulas and directions to create the second version of Whitelight, but when he did so the powers just kept going out on him to show the cure was starting to make him lose it more and more, though he was still able to get it down regardless. "I've got it."

She looks over the markings he's made and nods. "Alright, I've got it. I think the first thing you should do is get back to Gentek and try to get as many equipment as you can so I can do this. After that just hand them to me. I'll take care of it."

"Thanks...Mom. I mean it." Then he looks over to Rachel. "...I want you to...Take care of Haley for me while I'm gone...Can you do that, for me?"

His friend nods. "Yeah, of course I will. You just get yourself better again."

"Right...I will." Afterwards, using the strength he has, he hugs her, with her embracing him with equal force. "...I'm sorry...You were right, like always..."

"Ash, don't worry about it. Just...Get going." He looks at her after breaking the hug, nods, and slowly walks out of the house with his body still in pain.

* * *

 ** _Infected Population: 88%_** _ **  
Gentek - Time: 2:49 PM**_

After running through the streets as much as he could do with the only powers he had left and to make sure he wasn't hit or bitten by any of the infected, he was able to get near the large building, which as partially destroyed but those in Blackwatch were able to not only keep it into one piece but they were still able to still use it as a base for them, and turned into a one of the soldiers while also grabbing one of the assault rifles that was abandoned by anyone in the military so he can walk in without any suspicion. Now within the area, he walks into the building to search for any of the equipment needed to help create the cure, but along the way he started to cough harshly due to the cure, which was strange to him; How could he be feeling worse if what's in him was to kill off the Blacklight in him to prevent his powers? It strange to him and he knew he needed it to be looked at soon.

Regardless, he needed to get into one of the labs to get what he needed, so when he was near one, he hid himself to disguise himself as Laker since he consumed him before, and headed in there so he could blend in. But when he entered, one of the scientists took notice of him. "Dr. Laker! I thought you were done for when Jacobs chased you down! Thank goodness you're alive."

Mimicking his voice, he nods. "Yes, I am. I'm surprised I'm still alive."

"Yeah, I am too. So...Are you going to attempt Whitelight v2?"

"Yes, that's correct. I'll recreate the cure, and this time it should work. It has to. N-Now if you excuse me, it's time I get to work." Allowing him to leave, he starts towards one of the desks to look at the work station. But when he was about grab one of them, he's put into a coughing fit, which becomes harsher and harsher to the point where he spit out blood, pure blood, while those nearby took notice. _"N-No...Not now!"_ He continues to hack while, out of his control and will, he returns back to normal, but looking much more paler and small veins appeared on his face.

"OH FUCK! IT'S JACOBS! SOMEONE GET OVER HERE! HE KILLED LAKER!" One said while they panicked, with sounds of boots running to the room.

Needing to get what he can quickly, he grabs as many vials, beakers, and tools as he possibly could before they came through the lab. When they did and started firing, he jumps out the window with the supplies in hand, landing on the ground while a crater was formed, which also hurt his legs since he was losing his powers more and more, with all the soldiers of Blackwatch taking notice and started firing, with him running as fast as he possibly could to get out of the area of Gentek with the tool and glass containers in arms, but also had no available ones now.

While running, not only were soldiers now following him through multiple trucks while trying to shoot him so they could kill him, but his speed was starting to dwindle over time more and more and becoming a normal person again, but also became sicker than before. He made immediate turns so he could lose them to the best of his ability, but they just kept following him and made accurate turns to catch up to him, with more trucks following him now than ever. The Black haired boy was soon to make a sudden turn to the right, but a tank was in the way to stop him, which cause him to run the other way but another one of the metal vehicles were in his way once more. Knowing there was no other direction for him to go to since both directions were blocked.

Now trapped with no other direction he can go, they all prepared any weapons to shoot him down for good until a pack of Brawlers suddenly came out of nowhere and started attacking them, which they all directed towards them and begun shooting at him, which were also followed by a Juggernaut there to start smashing their tanks. Knowing he could use this time to his advantage, he runs towards and past the tank that wasn't being attacked, but saw something that shocked him and the living with him greatly. Rushing towards them was a large beast that was at least sixty feet tall that held a Black armor-like body around its torso, a large club on the left arm, a large Blade on the right that, a large body that holds a sinister Black face, and small legs.

When it saw them, the beast started charging at him with the club. "Holy shit that's a-A FUCKING BEHEMOTH!" A soldier screamed. "FALL BACK TO HEADQUARTERS! FALL FUCKING BACK!" Even though he call it, the charge easily destroyed all of the tanks and trucks, and killed off both of the infected and the soldiers, except for Ashen since he was running for his life since it depended on it and needed to find a direction for him to escape through while the buildings behind him were getting destroyed one by one. Though he finally put an end to the running when he saw an alleyway, which he took and stayed there for a bit so the new monster, Behemoth, just rushed off to destroy the city.

When he finally escaped, he took a breather and rest for a bit, but was glad that all of the equipment he got was still safe and sound. After resting for a minute, he gets up slowly and begins to make his way back to where Rachel and his family was, but he suddenly received a call on his phone, which he put some of it down and took out it out to see it was from 'Unknown'. "An unknown number...Who is it?" Regardless, he answers it. "Hello?"

"Yo, A.J. How are ya ol' buddy? Still adjustin' to bein' a normal again in a shithole like this?" The voice said, revealing it was Luke. "...Feelin' a bit sick lately? Come across my newest beast? Love it, don't ya? I made 'em just like my Evolved to help ya get to fall right into my hands for you to lead me to the cure. It was so fuckin' simple, like ya."

"...You've got a shit ton of nerve to bother talking to me after what you did."

"Aw, don't be like that Ashy. You're actin' like we're not friends anymore. Ya know I was just jokin'"

"That's because we're not anymore! You put this SHIT into my body and took everything away!" His anger rose. "...Why did you do it, Luke? I thought we really were friends."

"...Like you would understand. If ya only got what I had to deal with, you'd understand. But...That's for 'nother time. Let's talk again sometime, because it's sooner than ya think."

The call was then cut off, leaving him standing there wondering on what he meant that it'll be sooner than he thought. But he decided to let that be a problem for another time and started to take the supplies to the house.

* * *

 _ **? - Time: 3:10 PM**_

"...And you truly think that this will work?" A general asks from a screen that holds multiple people on it, showing at least four people of the same rank and the president, who was just an African-American man that has Greying hair.

The Colonel nods. "Yes, because this has to get done. Dr. Laker failed to cure the infection of the Blacklight virus, and it shows that it won't work now. It's the only way to CONTAIN this virus!"

"Now question, Colonel Randon, if I may." Another one asks. "...Do you know of the record of which Dr. Laker has? How has he been in terms of stopping sicknesses? How much has he failed to make a cure?"

"...Not once until now."

"Then this must mean two things; Either it was a dud or it was rigged on him! Do you truly see someone with high statistics to fail something as this?"

"This means nothing now! Even if there was a record, the results of it still stands!" Randon says.

"Yes, it does! If he's truly alive, then he can make another cure to stop this mistake!"

"Yes, I agree!"

One of the other ones shake his head. "I agree with Colonel Randon. As painful as it maybe, we can't let this virus spread any longer." The fifth one just stood silent.

"Then that means you'll be killing more than Ten Million people! TEN MILLION OF YOUR OWN PEOPLE! Is that what you want Randon?! Are you this young and brash?!"

"It's...A sacrifice we have to make for the greater good."

Afterwards, the president finally decided to say something. "Gentlemen, we must take this into thought. Nobody can come to an agreement and we're running low on time as we know it. Once New York Zero is infected, it might spread out into the other states. We have to figure this situation now before it worsens."

"...So how do you propose we settle this?" Randon asks.

"...Through voting. The option with most votes will be used. Yay to go through with it, or nay to wait for the cure from Dr. Laker." They all stay silent by hearing this. "...Start this...Now."

"Yay." The young colonel states

"Yay."

"Nay."

"Nay."

Once the voting started, nobody heard from the final one. "...Colonel Harris, what is your vote."

After thinking for a bit, he finally came up with one until the door opened on Randon's side, revealing it was a Blackwatch soldier. "Colonel Randon! I bring you horrible news!" Hearing this distraction angered him and was about to yell at him until he heard what he was about to say. "Dr. Laker was found. But...We was killed and consumed by...Ashley Jacobs." This caused everyone to stay in silence.

"...My lord...The only one to stop this disease...Gone." One of colonels said in shock, along with everyone else, knowing their only chance to stop it was killed. "...On second thought...I want to change my vote...Yay."

"...Yay."

Everyone waited for Harris to vote, but one thought was clear now. "...Yay."

The president nods slowly. "Then...I'll allow this project to go through."


	12. Day 5 - Hope

**_Infected Population: 89%  
Hideout- Time: 6:03 PM_**

 _"I was starting to lose it...The thing I needed to stop both Luke and Zoe from taking control this city with his Infected. Every time I used the powers I had, they just kept not working for me more and more as I kept using them. But it was becoming more than just that...I was losing not just my powers. Time was starting to toll on me, and my time was running out. If I didn't get cured before then, then every bit of hope I had in stopping him was gone. I starting to lose at least my own hope...But that was before it came back."_

When Ashen finally made it back to the hideout that Rachel, Taylor, and Haley are at, he barges through the door with his arms filled with the equipment that he needs to help make the sure he'll be cured, which he does gently, but just starts coughing harshly while trying to hold his mouth to prevent the blood from coming out. However, despite trying, it still does.

Knowing it won't stop, he gets onto his knees. "R-RACHEL! MOM! FUCKING ANYONE!" He coughs harsher than before while getting on his hands now while they all ran over to see what was happening, with both of the older girls helping him up while he was half conscious now due to him being weak now, then he was places on the chair to slowly look to see them.

"What...What happened Ashley?" The teenaged girl asked in worry, with him not responding due to his state.

Worried, his mother then starts observing him and his body, seeing it was much more paler and more veins were being shown around his face, then at his chest to see the 'J' shaped bioluminescent slowly fading darkly like it's dying off. "It looks like it's killing off more than just the Blacklight in him...It's something more." Then she looks at him in the eyes. "Can you stay up or stand up?"

Looking it her slowly, he nods. "Y-Yeah...I can..." He slowly gets up and looks at them with a smile. "I-I'm ok...I...Have to be." Afterwards, the only boy points at the equipment. "I got...What I could with what I was able to...I hope it's...Enough."

"Yes, it is. You've done enough for now...We have the stuff to make it, now all that's left is a sample of Blacklight. The closest thing we can get is...You." She looks at him. "Can you give me a blood sample? If you can?" He nods slowly while trying to form his right arm into the Claw for the talon, but each and every time he did it would disappear on him, but he was able to do it for a quick second so it can cut his skin, then pinched it so a bit of the substance inside him would come out, with her then grabbing it and placing it down on a glass piece. "Got it."

He takes a deep breath and relaxes a bit while he was also breathing heavily and trying to keep himself awake. "T-That's...Good. Least things can get...Done." While still trying to keep himself up, his eyes slowly begin to close and he just falls down onto the ground with them half open.

"Ashley?! ASHLEY!"

"Ash! Wake up!"

"B-Brother! Please wake up!"

Despite hearing them, his eyes just close to enter into a sleep, or what he thinks it was.

* * *

 ** _Time: 9:57 PM_**

After sleeping for at least three hours, he slowly but surely begun to wake up, but more paler than ever, to see he lying down on the couch with Haley lying down against his shoulder in a deep sleep with a smile on her face. He was surprised that she was sleeping despite all that was happening at the moment, making him smile but also seeing that Taylor was working on something at the table with what she has on it, with him slowly but surely getting up. "W-What happened?"

She looks at him and sighs in relief. "Thank goodness you're alright, I thought you wouldn't wake up. You passed out so suddenly...Your little sister was so worried for you and thought you wouldn't wake up. So...She just slept with you. She just couldn't leave you out of her sight." Now needing to focus on what she was doing, she looks back at it. "I think I might have found something to help you get back to being who you were again, but...There's more to it." This catches Ashen's attention and walks over to see it the progress she's doing. "...You're slowly dying. Luke must have made a cure to not only stop the virus in you, but to also cause something similar Sepsis. Because you regenerate, it wouldn't be a problem..."

"...But since I'm going back to being normal...That won't happen."

"Yes, and the only way to stop it is through antibodies. But even making that will take a long time, maybe through the entire night, which is time we might not have." She looks at him with a sad expression on her. "...I'm sorry Ash."

"N-Nah...It's fine. I'll just...Just have to deal." He looks around now, seeing it was night at the moment. "Where's...Where's Rachel?"

"She's upstairs sleeping I think. I'm not sure. You should probably check in."

Taking this advice, he slowly walks over to one of the rooms that was in the old apartment to look for his friend, seeing she was within a bedroom that only had a large bed over a window, with her looking out of the window to see what was happening outside, seeing all of the Walkers roaming the streets. After watching, she looks away to see him standing there. "Hey...You're awake."

"Yeah, I'm surprised I am myself." He says to her, looking through the window. "...Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it is. I was worried that you weren't going to be ok."

"Yeah...Right." After stating this, they both share a moment of silence within the dark night that was shined by the moon, but he interrupts it by sighing. "...I'm sorry."

She knew on why he said this, with her looking at him. "Ash, it's fine, really."

"No, it's not." He says in a serious voice to the best of his ability due to being weak, which surprises her a bit while he paced around. "...It's because of me, Rachel. I'm the reason this city is filled with those fucking creeps, and why it's not back to normal. If I wasn't an idiot to even think Luke or Zoe was that trustworthy after all these years, then maybe this entire outbreak wouldn't have happened, and New York would be back to normal. I could have prevented this...But..."

"...Ash, it's not your fault." This catches his attention. "...You couldn't have possibly have known any of this wouldn't have happened. I...I might have done the same if I was you. If there's anyone that deserves the blame...It's not you."

"I...Don't?"

She shakes his head. "No, I don't. How can I? It's Luke's fault for doing this...And Zoe to just...Leave you like that. They're the ones who led you to do this kind of stuff while you were trying to find out on how to cope with what happened to...Your Dad. They led you into the wrong path" After saying this, she walks toward him and holds his hands. "I know that you'll be put into the right one without them...And through it, I want...I want to be with you on the very same one." By hearing this, he just stares at her in the eyes. "...Because you're one of my best friends no matter what people say on how confused you were...And every time I worried if you would be ok with them or even right now...But I know you would be back." He still listens to her. "...No matter what, you'll always be someone I care for...A 'Monster' a punk, or someone that's going to die soon...I'm not giving up on you Ashley."

He smiles a bit weakly, still trying to stay strong even with him slowly dying. "Thank you...Rachel. It's nice to hear...Hear you say that." They keep their stare at each other, not wanting to lose their gaze until he wasn't sure on what to do until she started leaning towards him. He was a bit surprise by her doing this and didn't know on what to do; Did he want to or did he want to reject her? If he did then would she be infected with any remains of Blacklight he has left while returning to being a human? Would it feel right for him to do this? Would it hurt her if he rejected after what she said to him?

Finally making a decision, he stops her to slowly takes her Red prescription glasses off of her so they wouldn't get in the way and see her Blue eyes before they both did something neither of them expected out of the moment they're having; Their lips met they kissed slightly, experimenting if they still want to continue doing this, which they did and begun to do it more constant and while she started to take off his hood and Jacket-like hoodie, and him forcing her against a wall while they kissed. The session begun to get deeper since they were starting to not only take off more of their clothing, but moaning lightly so nobody's attention would be caught. After a few minutes of this, they land on the bed with him on top while they continued.

But the longer they did, the more he started to wear down due to the sickness, making him stop and get his mouth away for him so he can cough harshly, with little blood coming out of it. "I-I guess...I can't. Not like...This."

"...Especially not this?" She asks, with him shaking his head. "I-I'm sorry to-"

"Nah...I-It's fine. Don't worry about...It." He gets off of her and lies down, with her getting on top of her now.

With her in that position to sleep, she puts her head on his chest. "...Things will get better once the cure's done...It has to."

"Yeah...I hope so too." He looks at the door to see it was still open, and uses whatever power he has to change his arm into Whipfist momentarily to grab a hold of the knob and closes it before it disappears, with him not moving in the process. When he shut it, he lies his head down to rest a bit, with her doing the same as they just lied there in the dark room. But through the window, a set of eyes stared at them.

* * *

 _ **? - Time: 11:48 PM**_

"...Is the project soon to be ready?" Randon asks while he walked through a hallway alongside another soldier.

"Yes sir, if we constantly work on it with the technology we have, it should be done in about twenty four hours."

"Excellent. I hate to resort to this, but it seems we'll have to do it. For everyone else and for this country."

"Yeah...It's a shame really." He sighs. "I'm gonna miss this place, you know? Things just won't be the same."

He sighs too and nods. "Yeah, I know. But you understand why this has to happen, right?"

"Uh huh...I do." They keep walking off until they make it into a room to reveal the project they were working on, making the Colonel stare at it. "So...How is it?"

After seeing it, he nods. "...Keep the progress going." Then the soldier looks at it to see what it is; A large missile.


	13. Day 6 - Return

**_Thursday  
October 19, 2062_**

 ** _Day 6 - Day of Events/Infected Population: 90%  
Hideout - Time: 5:34 AM_**

 _"There was at least some bit of hope left in my recovery, and I only had a small amount of time before I finally lost not only my powers, but my health and life. It was slow, but I was sure it would be effective and the only thing to get me back into who I am again, but in doing so there have to be prices I have to pay. I wondered if paying for it would be worth it, but I knew I the answer. There was no question to it. The cure was killing me...But it did before me."_

Still lying on the bed, Ashen wakes up slightly but still in pain from the 'cure', but when he did he saw Rachel sleeping next to him while holding his arm. Remember on what happened last night, he smiles and slowly gets his arm out of the grip on her and quietly gets off of the bed so he can put the lost clothes he had on before back on before heading there. But just when he was about to go, he looks at the bathroom nearby and looks at himself to see he was much more paler than before and more veins were surrounding his face now. Seeing this, he puts the hood up slowly and starts walking toward Taylor at the table.

When nearby, he sees her mom. "H-Hey...Did you...Get it done?"

Hearing this made her look and nods while showing him a syringe with a Grey substance inside it. "Yes, this...THIS is it. This should work on curing you of the 'Whitelight' in you. This IS Whitelight v2, a complete copy of it, but not as strong. It's weak to the point where the body will see it just as a cold so the immune system will create antibodies."

"So I just...Put it in me?"

"No, that would kill you even faster. You need this into anything that has a large and strong immune system, or anything that holds a large amount of Biomass, which is energy the organism holds. Put this in..."

"...And the being with it will just create an immune system so I can consume it and have it work for me...And this should cancel out any other sicknesses in me?"

She nods. "That's at least what I hope to expect." After explaining, she starts looking at his face. "...You look horrible. How do you feel?"

He slowly looks at his body, seeing the 'J' on his chest faintly glowing and looking like it's dying. "I'll be completely honest and blunt...I feel like fucking shit and my bones feel like fucking glass...But I'll have to get over it..."

"Are you sure you can handle this? Because this is an antibody to Whitelight, so once you do this you'll be immune to it, and you won't turn back to normal once this is over." Hearing this made him look down at the syringe she was holding. "...Are you prepared to do that? Sacrifice your only chance at being normal to do this?"

It was a thought he never did think of before; The ultimate sacrifice he would have to make. Either lose his chance of being normal again or return to being the PROTOTYPE he was again. Making a decision, he shows it turning arm into the Whipfist after a few attempts. "...If I want this city back to normal, then I have to. Once I get this done, I'm going after Luke and end this once and for all."

She nods and hugs him tightly, with him doing the same. "Stay safe."

"I will...I'll let you know if it works. And keep a watch of both Haley and Rachel." Again, she nods by this before walking away while thinking on what to use the cure for him on, but remembered a perfect host for the antibodies, which was big enough and was a large threat to the city; The Behemoth he was a while back. So, using any of the strength he had left, he ran as fast as he could to find it.

* * *

 ** _Time: 8:01 AM_**

"...FIRE! FIRE AT WILL!" One of the Blackwatch soldiers yelled while he and other ones on the ground or in either tanks or choppers started shooting at the large bladed Infected that was rampaging through the city with the large club it has for a left arm, with it swinging and smashing it around, causing it to destroy buildings and some of armed vehicles to be knocked down or destroyed and the Blade arm to slash and kill off any soldiers nearby. "THE FUCKING BEHEMOTH ISN'T GOING DOWN! SEND IN BACK UP! SEND FUCKING BACK-"

Before he could finish, the large blade weapon swishes toward the soldier and anything else in the way, killing anything in its way. In the distance, Ashen watched this with a small smile. "There...It...Is." Using any strength his has left, he sprints up one of the buildings to get away from any of the attacks it did and the charging so he could strategize on where to attack from, seeing that while most of the torso was covered in the Black armor, part of the neck was revealed a bit due to the source of glowing Dark Red veins around there. Preparing to run despite being in pain and the syringe that's to hold the cure for him, he dashes and glides toward it quickly to the best of his ability, which he barely makes due to it constantly moving. "Alright Mom...Let's hope...Let's hope this works." He stabs and injects the substance in it into the beast, causing it to screech loudly and start moving around to get him off, which it was able to. "Alright...Here we go."

Now that its attention was placed onto the dying boy, he starts chasing him down by charging while screeching in pain, which he starts running away from to spare enough time for the antibodies to be created so he can consume it to gain it for himself. But the running begun to catch up to him due to his lack of health and powers, which made him hide out in an alleyway to dodge it, avoiding him completely. After a few seconds, the screeching stopped and he was about to go off to fight it, but he saw the Blackwatch soldiers that were requested rushing through the streets with multiple tanks and choppers coming from all sides of where the Behemoth was at.

When they made it, one of the soldiers in the large group then took command. "FIRE! OPEN FUCKING FIRE!" From every single side avilable, they all started shooting off multiple missiles at it, but the armor didn't break by any means possible, even after multiple attacks from the TOW Launchers on the tanks, which were rectangular. As a counterattack, the beast destroyed the tanks with the large bladed arm, instantly blowing up the vechicle and anyone else within it or near the range. During this, the Black haired boy saw the destruction and saw that the missile launcher on one of the destroyed tanks, which he made for but was also seen. "Jacobs has been spotted! I repeat; Jacobs has been spotted!" Ignoring him and using all of his strength he has left, he grabs onto the sides of the launcher and begins to pull it off, but after ten seconds of trying to, he's able to. "Oh my fucking god...HE JUST TOOK OFF A FUCKING TOW! REQUESTING BACK UP NOW!"

Using the new weapon he has in his arms, he slowly but surely runs as fast and jumps as much as he could near it and shoots it off, sending the large Infected backwards a bit but made the one who wields it down onto the ground with wounds on his face to the point where it starts showing off a few bones but it started to heal for him, though it was slow. However, the attack threw the giant off balance for a bit, and took this chance to try and change his arms into the Claws long enough for him to slash it while he was being shot at before it disappeared, amputating it of its legs so it can call on its back. Thinking this would be a good time to consume it, the beast just roared again in anger and flipped on its chest using the Club and Blade to start moving.

Seeing this, the dying boy just groans lowly. "You've got to be...Fucking...Kidding...Me." He says in a weak voice before coughing harshly, but he stops this instantly to see the large blade rise itself to slash anything in its way, with him quickly dodging it by running away and rolling into a nearby alleyway while those that were unfortunate to get away from the attack were killed. Once he got away, he breathed heavily while gripping onto the parts that revealed his skeletal system. "This is...Getting me...Nowhere. I have to...End this." Waiting for the beast to pass him while he waited in a large garbage bin after it destroyed a few buildings, which protected him for the most part, he changes his normal arms into Spikes after a few attempts and rushes the large monster and slides under it to use the back of his forearms to cut through the armor, which made it scream in pain until he changed it into the taloned hands momentarily to cut through the opening, disarming it of the blade while it screeched even louder now and Ashen's power finally being lost due to him losing his Blacklight powers. "N-No...Come...ON!"

Looks at his hands, he knew he had little time now, and started to do something he thought would be impossible for him; Using as much of his remaining strength as possible to lift the large arm that holds the blade and slams it after turning, having it go down and cut through the arm that holds the club, rendering it defenseless and weakened. Even though he has the beast now, he slowly walks toward the head while breathing heavily, losing the health he only has left and starts crawling on all fours to get there. When he did, he uses the last of his strength to grab the head and starts trying to tear it off, with small rips being made but the longer he did it the more it started to become noticeable. After a long amount of time, he finally tears it off while blood leaked and tendrils from within the PROTOTYPE started to cover the entire body and the remains, which he's successful at doing and starts yelling in pain due to it, which caused him to collapse on the ground to enter into unconsciousness.

After lying there for a minute or two, the backup of Blackwatch that the soldier requested came by and saw the amount of blood that the Behemoth held but they all took notice of the pale and potentially dead teenager. Unsure if he is, they all prepare their weapons and slowly walk towards him to see. "...A.S.H.E.R appears to be down and potentially knocked out. Standby for-" At that instant, the boy's body starts spazing out while he yelled. "He's alive! OPEN FIRE!"

They all start shooting at him quickly, but something shocked them; The bullets started to deflect while he rose up and the Biomass in his body started to change his look, now much more different than before. He now wore Black sinister body armor that holds a face that holds an engravement of sharp teeth, arms that hold small spikes on it, Dark Red veins that glowed in the same way than his body while in the middle revealed the 'J' symbol now glowing much more powerfully than before that leads to the veins on the arms, back, and legs, while also holding eyes of the same color. But now he held something else along with it; His right arm now held a large sharp blade that was from the Behemoth, which was smaller but big enough to reach up to his shoulder, and the sharp object was connected to his Red Vein glowing arm.

Immune to most damage, none of the attacks even stunned him, with him screaming in sheer rage, prepared the Blade and did a sudden spin to slash all of the nearby Blackwatch soldiers, cutting them into halves. He notices that tanks were too nearby, with them firing at him but he was able to avoid this by jumping up high in the air, not as high as he use to, and preparing the large weapon to slam it down, destroying in instantly, which he does for the others.

Once they were destroyed, the Armor on Ashen slowly returned into his body while the Blade disappeared, revealing his now healed and healthy look once again, showing he was smirking. "...Fuck yeah, I'm back." He pops his neck and takes out his phone to call Taylor about the results. "Mom, it works. The cure worked. The Whitelight you made helped. You're a miracle worker."

"Thank you Ashley. I'm glad it did. I'm guessing you need me to make another cure like that?"

"Pure Whitelight, yeah. It should help bring everyone back to normal. THIS time, for real."

"Alright, I'll get on it. I should be easy to do with the amount of Blood I still have from you since it's still Blacklight." She was about to continue, but was interrupted. "...Rachel wants to talk to you."

"Really? Alright...Let her."

After a few seconds, he hears some rustling. "Ash? Is that you?"

He nods with a smile. "Yeah, Rach. It's me. The cure worked and I'm back to normal."

"That's good...I'm glad you're ok."

"Yeah, I am too...But now it's time to deal with them...Zoe and Luke. If I want to know what that piece of shit is up to, I'll have to deal with her first."

"Are...You sure you want to do that? You loved her bef-"

"Yeah...I did. But not anymore...After how she ditched me to just roll over and die like that, she's not the girl I loved before...Not anymore." He grips his fists tightly. "...I'll call back later, ok?"

"Ok...Please be careful." Rachel then closes off the contact for him.

Leaving him alone, he puts the phone up and uses Hunting Sense to find where his old girlfriend was, making him angry and prepared. "...It's time to deal with you guys once and for all." Using the powers of a PROTOYPE once again, he runs off quickly to get to Zoe, but now faster than he was before.


	14. Day 6 - Their Final Fight

_**Mall - Time: 8:58 AM**_

 _"I was back, and not only better. But I was stronger than ever. I got back what I lost and it was finally time to settle all of it once and for all. This outbreak went on for long enough, and it was time to end it. I didn't know on what Luke was planning to do next, but I knew that it wouldn't be good. The only way to know would be to kill and consume Zoe, someone I use to love. But this wasn't just a battle I had to finish but it's one that I...truly regret even to this day, the very same one."_

Inside the building of the Manhattan Mall, it was infected with multiple Pustules and tendrils while Zoe was walking through the floors within the the building, looking at all of the abandoned food courts, tech stores, and another that caught her attention more than anything; A clothing store specifically for those in the same kind of fashion she's into, which was Punk. Smiling, she walks in and since nobody works anymore during these times, she starts taking what she wants. But unknown to her, a shadow of someone with anger and rage filled eyes watched her and starts to sneak in to get a preemptive.

While inside, the traitorous teenager starts looking through the amount of clothes to her choosing, but stops to see a Black shirt that holds a cartoon skull on it. "Oh that looks SO cute." She grabs a Black jacket and skirt that's pure of that color and starts changing her Yellow clothing, with the stalker seeing and watching her momentarily before hiding out in the darkness once again. Once she got done changing, she starts looking through multiple accessories that she can wear on herself until she hears a rustle, making her look around to see nothing there. "...Alright, who's there?!" She starts looking for anything that might have been cause of it, then at the mirror to see herself in it. Impressed by the new look of hers, she smiles but sees something coming up from behind her; A set of Claws that's about to stab her, which causes her to jump behind an kick the cause of it into the window; Ashen. "Hey Ashy, it's been a while, huh?"

Recovering quickly, he turns to look at her in anger filled eyes. "...Just felt like fucking yesterday when you and Luke decided to just leave me to die on top of Gentek...How could I ever forget?"

She giggles a bit. "Cute. But you know Ashley, I'm surprised to see you're doing well. You decide to sleep with that dumb bitch named Rachel?"

"She's nowhere NEAR what you are! At least she's not a fucking backstabbing whore that would leave for my best friend compared to you!"

"Is that right? Well we're over, so that's none of my concern. But anyway Ashy, I don't know what you're planning to do, and I don't care. Whatever it is, it won't do a thing. We're just too powerful and have become a part of the virus here, like you. Only you're just...A setback."

"...Is that right? Well I plan to kill both you...AND him! And if I want to get to him, you're the first on my list!" He prepares his bladed hands.

She just smiles by hearing this. "...This isn't about how he's fucked me better than you have or that he's bigger, is it?"

This sets him off and growls. "...You're so fucking dead!"

"Then what are you waiting for?!" She asks him while her arms turned into the Claws, which has the blades shaped a lot like simple swirls, with him screaming in anger while leaping towards her to stab the female in the stomach, but she counters this by stopping his hands with hers in terms of the razor sharp fingers. They struggled to try and overcome one another through sheer strength alone, but to get him off guard she headbutts him and throws him out through the glass window, shattering it and also sending the one that was thrown into a wall. "Come on Ash, you can do better than this!" Turning her arms into the single Whipfist, she extends the arm to have the blade-like hook shoot out to him so she could grab him, but he sees this and grabs a hold of it quickly while turning his arms into the Hammerfists. "L-Let go!"

Getting up and still holding it, he looks at her with a smile. "...Make me." He yanks his arm back to bring the Red headed girl towards him, with her quickly turning the whip-like weapon into same kind of weapon he has and slams down the large arms, only for him to stop it with his own at the same time. While they struggled, the ex-boyfriend begun to get the upperhand in the struggle due to him having more experience with it, then was able to push the arms aside so he can punch her in the stomach, weakening and stunning her long enough for him to slam the fists that feel like one got hit by a hammer down onto her and punches her harshly in the face to the point where it sent her away into one of the restaurants in the food court, which was on a lower floor than what they were on. "Hey Zoe! Enjoying yourself yet?!"

He jumps down, leaving a part of the floor destroyed, and starts to walk toward where she was and lifts the debris, but saw she was no longer there. Prepared for any direction she may attack from, he turns his large fists back into the Claws and starts looking around on where she maybe, but hears the sound of running in the distance, making him look to see who it was, but it was just a Blackwatch soldier as an Evolved running towards him with the arms being small Blade, though not as big as his, which causes him to quickly dodge any of the attacks it threw at him as fast as he could, but he was put to a stop when another of the same kind of infected with the same weapon attacked him from behind, catching him off guard and having to deal with two people that are much like him at the same time, but doing this left him defenseless for Zoe to suddenly come in to attack him in the back, sending him into one of the restaurants to cover him in the debris.

Doing this made him laugh a bit. "Just look at that! Saying that I'll be dead and he'll beat both me and Luke! You're just too funny Ashley! You always were a joke!" She laugh even more while Ashen heard this under all of the ruins, with him then deciding to push it out of the his way by having tendrils swishing around before a barrage of then shot out and knocked away and destroyed any of the debris and shops nearby, revealing himself to them with anger. "...Get him!" The two Evolved soldiers that are under her control rush toward him with their armed weapons ready to attack, with one trying to stab him with it only to be blocked and deflected to send him backwards while he deals with the other one. Using his Claws, he stops the upcoming blade near his face, then quickly changes them into his Spikes so he can backhand the other upcoming one of the same person, cutting through the arm while he was also screaming in pain and stunning him. He uses this to his advantage to throw him at a table, knocking him over while he lied there in pain.

The Black haired PROTOTYPE then started to walk toward the other one while the Evolved started to recover, with him seeing and planned to to stab him with the only weapon it has, but the teenager changed his recent weapon into the Blade, stabbing into his chest to lift him up, then slashes him down the middle while consuming his body, regaining some of his lost Biomass. Taking care of him, he looks at his old girlfriend and yanks his head back a bit to tell her to come to him. "...Come on, think you can take me?"

"Yeah, says the guy about to get his ass beat!" Turning her arms into Claws, she runs at him to try and attack, but he blocks it with the Blade to stop it, which causes the two of them to start clashing against each other with their razor sharp weapons, but the difference between them was his weapon was much stronger but slower. Due to this, she was able to find the weakness and uses it against him by pushing it aside to give her an opening to stab him. "I've got you!" Just when she was about to deliver the blow, the boy's Armor then activated on his will, halving the damage on him but didn't go through. "W-What?" She looks up to his face, seeing the Dark Red glowing eyes that holds the engraved teeth marks, one that reminded her of something. "...No way...You killed..."

Still standing there, he grabs her right arm roughly, causing her to try and escape it while he prepared his armed weapon. "...My turn." He says in a muffled and dark voice, then swings the bladed arm towards her left shoulder and slashes it off, causing her to scream in pain and finally escape, causing her to bleed heavily due to losing a limb. "...Doesn't feel good, doesn't it?"

Stepping backwards a bit, she shoots a tendril at the Evolved that was still lying there, consuming his Biomass to heal herself faster than usual if she didn't do this method. "Who...Are you?"

Deciding to reveal his face a bit, he seeps the mask part into him to reveal his cold and anger filled eyes. "...I'm not a who...I'm what I use to be...I use to be Ashley Jacobs, nicknamed Ashen...Some kid who always took everything granted when his dad died in the second war...But now he's gone. And here I am...Somebody who once was alive, and your enemy!" He returns the head part back into being armored and runs toward her with the large weapon on him ready to use, which she only used one arm at the moment while the other one started to heal after twenty seconds, with her using them to change into Hammerfists, which he sees and uses the same power to block the attack. They both struggled to try and overpower one another, but deciding to help do so he slams his foot into her kneecap, stunning her while he punches her harshly into the face, sending her up into the roof and into a large glass chandelier, breaking it while the remains fell onto the ground while she started to fall herself.

Recovering, she sees herself falling toward him, to which she changes into Whipfist and hopes to grab him to she can throw him on where she was hit. But like before, Ashen grabs it and yanks her toward him, then changes back into the Blade to slash off her arm off right from the elbow, causing her to scream in pain and land on the ground, but she didn't stay there for long since he picked her up by the neck with the power of his prepared for anything she might have pulled. She didn't was to believe it, but she knew it; She was defeated. "A-Ash...Ashley baby...I-I'm so sorry. Please, l-let's go back to how things were before. I-If you do then...Y-You can have my body like before. D-Don't you want that?"

"...I already did." He slams her down onto the ground and starts punching her harshly on the ground while tendrils starts to cover her while screaming, with him killing and consuming her while also gaining her memories.

 **"So, did ya get Blackwatch to follow your trail?" Luke asks to her within his old home, which she nods.**

 **"Yes I did babe. They should find his family and that girl Rachel in no time."**

 **"Good, that should get him to come to into Randon's hands and sabotage Project: ZEALOT. Once that and him are gone, nothing else will get in our way...Then I'll be free."**

 **She smiles and nods. "We'll all be able to make the world the way we want it..."**

 **Even after knowing the plans, he also gets another set of memories, one from even before the times of the third outbreak or even on the first day. All he could see was the sounds of moaning. "Oh Luke...Faster."**

After seeing the memories, he saw two things within them; Zoe was cheating on Luke behind his back, and that she lead Blackwatch to his only friends and family left, which angers him and stares at the pool of blood from where she once laid. "...Serves you right...You cheating bitch." He rids of the Armor and Blade and runs off to where they are, leaving everything that happened.

* * *

 _ **Hideout - Time: 10:02 AM**_

While he quickly ran as fast as he could back to the hideout while calling them as often as he could. "Rachel?! RACHEL! ANSWER ME!" However, he got nothing out of it. All he could do was run was fast as he could back to where they were, but when he got there he saw something that was horrid; The entire building was filled with infected walkers. "No...No way...They couldn't have been..." He jumps off of the building he was on while turning his arms into Claws and rushes inside, along with killing off any of them walkers in his way.

When he got inside the building, he kicks down the door to see nothing in the room but everything else covered in bulletshots and everything being knocked down. In denial, he starts running around in the apartment to find anything, but didn't except for one thing; Rachel's broken Red prescription glasses lying there on the ground. He picks them up and realizes that they really were taken away and he was too late, making rage being built into him before screaming, feeling that he wasn't fast or powerful enough to stop Zoe quicker before they took them away.

Anger filled, he walks away with the glasses in hand, ignoring the infected near him and just runs off to be alone. After a while, he ends up sitting onto the Empire State Building, wanting to be alone in his thoughts and recover.


	15. Day 6 - Rescue

_**Infected Population: 92%  
Time Square - Time: 9:10 PM**_

 _"And that's what brought us up today. If I wasn't the one to release Blacklight, or even find the container, then none of this would have happened, Blackwatch wouldn't go through with Project: ZEALOT, and Rachel, Mom, and Haley wouldn't have been captured by Luke and now Randon and his men. Where they even are is still a mystery, even to me right now. Everything I've been through has led me to this moment, from even marking the Gentek building, becoming like Alex Mercer and James Heller, given a killer 'cure' from my own best friend becoming a traitor, Zoe's death, and until now. I just didn't know on how to start from here."_

After remember all that's happened for the past five days, Ashen stops looking at Rachel's broken glasses and puts them up while looking around now. "...I promise I'll set things right." He was about to walk off to find anything that would be a lead to him, but he hears the phone on him go off, making him instantly answer it without looking. "Hello?"

"...From what I'm sensin', Zoe ain't around. Have ya got anything to do with it, Ash?" The voice on the other end said, revealing to be Luke, which made the other boy growl. "Nah, of course ya did. There could'a been one other person to do that. I knew she'd be a good enough distraction for ya."

"Luke...You made them get captured...Sold them out to Randon and Blackwatch. You know about Project: ZEALOT. Just what the fuck is it? You know more about this shit than anyone because you WANT me to sabotage it!"

"...Yeah, I do. Because Project: ZEALOT is like both Firebreak and Firehawk. Those plans were both to bomb all of Manhattan to destroy the Blacklight virus, but this time they're usin' a Hydrogen Bomb this time around."

His eyes widened by this. "A Hydrogen Bomb?! That'll destroy more than just Manhattan. More like most of New York Zero! Ten's of millions of lives will die by this!"

"'Cause the virus I helped spread is going through more than just Manhattan. Apparently those assholes were too slow to destroy the bridges to contain it, and now it's growin' more and more. So if ya want to save 'em, come on by and destroy it. But even if ya don't, I'll still be in control. So either way...I win. But there's time to join me. Together, we can take over this world and you can have whatever ya want. And ya can have the chance to be whatever ya wanna be."

Hearing this, this put him into a time of thinking. He wanted to change himself after all he did before the outbreak, but he knew that no matter what he would do, nothing will change. And nothing will change after what happened between the two. "...After the shit you just pulled on me, I'm not following that bullshit again. When I'm done stopping that bomb, I'm coming after YOU. And when I do, I'll tear you PIECES after you fucked my girlfriend behind my back, poisoned me, and TOOK them and my home away. This won't even be just about saving everyone...This time, it's personal."

"...I'm sure it is. But it'll all be over soon...Just wait and see. See you then...Ashley."

The call is then cut off, leaving him to just stand there, gripping his fists in anger but starts to put the phone so he wouldn't accidentally smash it, but he receives another call on his phone, making him answer this was well. "Who is it?"

"A-Ashley?" A voice in static asked, making him realize it's Rachel.

"Rachel? Rachel?! Where are you?! Where are you at?!"

"I-I'm at a military base or something like that, maybe treat one of the buildings like that. Somewhere around...Financial I think. I don't know I-I'm freaking out so much Ash..."

Knowing he has to do something, he nods. "Don't worry Rachel, I'm on my way. Where's Mom and Haley?"

"T-They were with me but I don't know where they are...Ash, please help us."

"Don't worry Rach, I'm on my way. Just hang on."

"I know you a-" She was suddenly interrupted by somebody coming by. "O-Oh no."

"Hey! Where did you get that?! I SAID where did you get that?!" A man over the phone said, showing it was someone from Blackwatch. "Give it to me NOW!"

The call was then cut off on him. "Rachel? RACHEL!" Growling, he puts up the phone and pops his fists. "...Blackwatch, you're first. Then Luke." Knowing of where they are, he runs and jumps off of the building he's on and starts making his way to the Financial District, needing to save them and find out on how to stop and where the Hydrogen Bomb is.

* * *

 _ **Financial District - Time: 9:50 PM**_

Within the biggest building that's in the district, Randon was sitting at his desk looking at the window that was filled with flames and infected, which made him a bit sad knowing that the city he was sworn to help save alongside Laker would be destroyed, but he knew that this needed to be done no matter who thought it was the right thing or not. It needed to be done. While staring, he hears the door open, making him look to see it was one of the soldiers of Blackwatch. "...Anything to report?"

"Yes sir. Project: ZEALOT is near completion and should be done in the span of a few hours. That and most of our men has gather and soon to evacuate any remaining civilians and Gentek scientists out of the range of the bomb, including the Jacobs and the girl."

"Good work. You're doing good and your work well."

"And to add to this report, most of our men reported to see Jacobs killing off our men just a few hours ago. It's a guess that he's looking both Rachel Robinson and both Taylor and Haley Jacobs."

This catches his attention greatly, but somewhat expected this. "...So he's heading this way?"

"Possibly...I'm not sure myself."

"...Then get everyone working ZEALOT to work faster! If he comes here, not only will we drag him here to end this, but if he ends up killing me he'll sabotage the project from destroying it! We need it to stop the virus quickly if I die or not!"

"B-But sir! It's not fully ready yet!"

He slams his hand onto the table in anger. "I don't give a shit if it is or not! We HAVE no choice! This isn't a request! It's an ORDER!"

Taken back by this statement, he nods. "Y-Yes sir!"

He runs out to inform those working to follow his order, but when he left all that remained in the office was himself alone. But when he was, he took something out of his pocket; A syringe that holds a small sample of Blacklight. "...Soon enough, all of this bullshit about Blacklight, Alex Mercer, or even using this as a cure will end. This all ends...Today." He puts it up and decided to leave the office, wanting to get somewhere else in the building.

* * *

 _ **Time: 10:03 PM**_

After a long time of finding where his friend and family was at while also dealing with multiple Infected along the way, Ashen finally made it to where they were held at, which was one of the tallest buildings in the district filled with lights and multiple Blackwatch soldier both inside and patrolling outside. Knowing this is where he needs to be, he takes the form of one of the soldiers he consumed a while back and uses it to attempt to sneak into base. However, when he made it inside, one of the scanners near the door suddenly went off.

When it did, it caught all of their attention. "Warning: Infected as entered the building! Warning: Infected as entered the building!"

They all looked at the soldier that just walked in, making him sigh. "...Fuck it!" He turns back to normal but with the Claws being used now, making some of the soldiers start shooting at him while some also revealed themselves to be some of Luke's Evolved, cutting some of them down while the teenager himself did the same while also dealing with one of Luke's men himself. But while doing so, he grabbed one of the normal ones harshly. "Let's see if you know anything!" He grabs his head and crushes it with his bladed hands, gaining the memories he was able to get.

 **"A'right boys, listen up. Project: ZEALOT is about to commence soon, so anyone that you're able to get out of here, keep them here and safe! We're not about to leave anyone behind!" Randon said while in a meeting with other soldiers. "Any questions?"**

 **"Y-Yes sir, one actually. What of the Jacobs and Robin?"**

 **"...You KEEP them locked up in Rooms 246 and 265. We aren't letting any one of them escape and have them come to Jacobs. In fact, we're leading HIM to them so we can finish this once and for all! Dismissed!"**

Now knowing where they were, he plans to get upstairs to get to the room he needs to get but a soldier is thrown at a wall in his direction, causing him to look to see all of the Blackwatch soldiers were killed except for his former friends Evolved. "A message from Luke himself! You should've accepted his request when you had the chance!"

"Well tell your piece of shit boss to go fuck off!" He yells at them while as a means to deal with them quickly, he changes his arms into the Blade and starts swinging it to show off its sharpness to them. "...And so should you." He quickly runs toward one of the three Evolved so he could stab and throw him at the others, knocking them down onto the ground so he can have the opportunity to quickly slam the large weapon into one of them, cutting in half while the powers they hold disappeared on them. One of the last two saw this chance to attack and tried to use the ax arms to his advantage, but the Black haired teenager saw his and suddenly swiped the weapon of his up after turning, cutting off one of the arms he was about to use before the other was cut off, making the second to last Evolved scream in pain before he was thrown out the window. All that remained was the last one, which he made quick work of by grabbing, letting go and cutting him into two halves, and consuming him.

Once they were taken care of, he turns back to normal and runs up the stairs without anything stopping him this time so he can find the rooms of where they hold Rachel and his family, but along the way he's come across multiple Blackwatch soldiers with Assault Rifles in arms, which he kills them off quickly by changing his arms into the Hammerfist and slamming his now large fists into one of them and onto the ground, causing parts of the stairs and all of those on there to fall off to their deaths, except for one of the last PROTOTYPE's left since he uses Whipfist to grapple himself back up to continue up.

After dealing with this, he continues up to get to the floor in which holds the the ones he loves in, knocking down as many doors as he could with his fists so he can get there. When he entered into a hallway that's filled with offices, he finds the room named '246', knowing one of the ones people he cares for is in there, but it was being watched over by more soldiers. Knowing they won't be a problem to him, he turns his arms back into the taloned four-fingered hands, then makes himself shown. "Hey! Over here!" They see him and start firing, but he reacts to this by bringing up his Shield to deflect the bullets on his left arm, causing them to ricochet and wound them to the point where they couldn't get up due to the pain. Ridding of it, he turns his arms back to normal and opens the door. "Rachel?! Mom?! Haley?!"

All he saw in the office she was held in was just the Black haired teenage female, who was a bit dirty and lacked her glasses, which was the reason she couldn't see him very well. "A-Ashley? Is that you?" To prove to her he is, he takes out the glasses and puts it on her, making her see through the cracks that was made, but was still clear. "Ash...It's really you!" She quickly gets up and hugs him, then was about to kiss him but was put to a stop.

"...I can't...I don't want to infect you." He says to her, which make her stop and understand with a bit of sadness. "Hey...We don't need to do that to prove it, do we?" This causes her to look at him in the eyes. "...Is Taylor and Haley ok?"

"I-I think so. But...Did you have to do what you..."

Looking down, he nods. "...She cheated on me and got what was coming to her." Deciding to change the subject, he looks at her again. "Listen, I need you to find somewhere safe where you can hide for a bit until everything's over. Because Randon is going to bomb this place...Most of New York Zero. And I need to stop it before it's destroyed."

With the Black haired girls eyes widened, she nods. "Alright, got it. And Ash?" His attention was caught when she gave him something; A sample of Whitelight v2 in a vial. "Your mom was able to finish it before we were taken away. I had to act quick, so I put it in my pocket. I'm surprised they didn't find it."

Staring at it with wide eyes, he smiles and nods. "...Get somewhere safe. I'll deal with the rest." She nods, hugs him again, and runs off to find somewhere she could hide. Knowing she'll be ok, he runs off to get to room '265'. However, when he made it, he saw something that shocked him; The door was broken and multiple Blackwatch soldiers were lying there dead, and the office was empty. "W-Where...Where did they go?"

"H-Help...Help...Me." One of them said in a raspy voice. This catches his attention and looks to see that specific one moving, which makes the boy walk to him so he can pick him up by the neck, seeing he has bullet wounds all over his chest. "O-Oh my fucking god..."

Putting a lot of force into it, he tightens the grip while preparing his right arm to be the claw. "...Where are Taylor and Haley Jacobs? I'm in NO MOOD for any bullshit. So tell me before I make those wounds of your MUCH worse."

To answer his question, the intercom went off. "Attention all Blackwatch troops! Your target is no longer Ashley Jacobs! Your newest one is the Infected attacking the base! Get everyone you were able to get here to evacuation immediately, except for the Jacobs!" This causes his eyes to widen, hearing this was from Randon. "That's right Jacobs, I know you're in here! If you want your family, meet me at my office at the top floor! We'll finish things there! Want 'em? Come and get them!"

After the announcement went off, Ashen's anger grew to no limit since they're being used as hostages. Knowing of this, he puts down the wounded man. "...You're lucky my targets Randon now, not you." Now having both of his arms the Claws, he runs to the stairs and passes through multiple soldiers while they ignored him, needing to get there to stop both him and Project: ZEALOT.


	16. Day 6 - No Time Left

_**Time: 10:31 PM**_

Within the office of where Randon stays, the Colonel is just sitting there staring through the window, watching as everything is burning down into flames and being destroyed due to all of those that are infected destroying the city. While watching, he takes out the sample of Blacklight that was in his pocket, staring at it while also trying to understand of it's purpose and why it came to be.

When he was done looking at it, he heard the voice of one of his men within his ear piece. "Colonel Randon, the Hydrogen Bomb is finally completed. The start up for it is in thirty minutes. I'm sending a means to evacuate now-"

"No, that's not necessary." He responds to him.

"W-What? I don't under-"

Before he could finish, he sighs. "Tell me something...Do you have a family?"

"Yes...I do sir. A wife with triplets. Why do you ask?"

"Because it's something like that is why I can't go. Because that damn Blacklight Virus will just keep spreading if something like Mercer is still up and alive. Do you remember on what that man did? He saved New York when the first outbreak happened, one he caused, but then he recreated it to start up a second one. We decided to leave him alone...And I'm not going to let that window of opportunity pass for him. Anyone that has it must...Die." Relaxing in his chair, he watches the world in ruins. "...I plan to deal with him myself, and if I die trying then so be it..." He smiles a bit. "...You deserve to get out of here more than I do. So get going. Leave me to deal with him, as my final order."

"...Yes sir. I understand."

"Good, now go." He takes off the ear piece slowly and continues to watch the sigh of the city, waiting for Ashen to come until he starts hearing footsteps nearby, making him sigh and turn his chair to look at two people that's roped to the chairs near him; Taylor and Haley. "...He's coming, can you hear it? When he enters through that door, you'll see what he's really like and that he's not the same person as before. Are you prepared to see that?" The don't answer this. "...Denial perhaps?"

"Randon?! RANDON!" A voice yelled through the distance, with the source kicking and breaking through the door, revealing it to be the Black haired PROTOTYPE. Seeing them tied up, he stares at the Colonel in anger. "...Evacuating people my FUCKING ASS! What about THEM then?!"

"...There are some sacrifices that need to be made...Even if it means my own Soldiers." Hearing this made him realize that the reason that the soldiers that were watching his family were either dead or wounded was because of him. "...Not everyone can make it out, so we have to cut loose some in order to gain more. Much like myself." He crosses his arms while pacing. "...In order to have Project: ZEALOT to go through, I have to make sure the weapon itself doesn't end up being known or destroyed from just me or anyone else...And who else to do it other than me?" He stops and unwraps the ropes on their arms, giving them the freedom to run away from him and behind the boy. "...I know people like you, Ashley Jacobs. Sooner or later, you'll end up being just like Alex Mercer, where you'll save the city and end up making a fourth outbreak for any reason you want! Anything you say of wanting to save this city is nothing but a lie! Us, Blackwatch, are the only ones to stop this and people like you!" He points to him in anger. "We were made to protect this world! We were able to stop this twice now, and we'll do it again! We have the men, weapons, and the means to fight back! We have one common enemy, no matter what difference there is; The virus and including you!" He lowers his hand, everyone sharing a moment of silence. "...But one question still stands...In the end...Who are you? Are you still Ashley Jacobs? A pawn of Luke Broker? Or just a virus?"

After hearing everything he just asked, the boy just shakes his head. "...I'll be honest with you. Not even I know. The name Ashley Jacobs is all I am, even if I'm not a human...The question to if I'm dead or alive is something not even I know. But I'm going to end this...Everything that both this and Luke is doing tonight...Because I maybe the one to accidentally release it...But I'm not the one who took advantage of it. Luke is the one to do it...And I'm not like him or Mercer." He shows him the vial of Whitelight in his pocket. "...I have the cure with me, and it works. This plan doesn't have to go down like this."

"...And I'm to believe that." This surprises him a bit. "...I may not now everything, Jacobs, but I know of what's happened until now. How Broker forced Laker to release and tainted cure. If I knew you'd be gone along with everyone else, I would...But I can't. Because if you did work for him, I wouldn't believe in such a thing for that reason. But I know of what you're immune to now...All of it...Including the cure itself. And if you're still around, none of us would be given the time to stop the next outbreak...And none of this will mean nothing."

"...So you want to get rid of me just because you fear me and what I'm capable of doing, huh?" He slowly walks toward the White haired young man, who was just standing there now. "...You're right, even I'm afraid of these powers myself. I'm a demon to some...But wanna know something? It's not the powers that makes the person..." He shows off his Claws. "...It's the person that makes the powers...And no matter what, I'll never destroy mankind."

He starts thinking of what he just said to him, but steps back and pulls out the syringe to hold the virus inside, shocking them. "Nice try kid...But I'm not buying it...No matter what you may do, I won't let someone as dangerous as you go while we have twenty five minutes until ZEALOT is initiated, and I'll FINISH what my grandpa did fifty years ago!" Suddenly, he stabs it into his neck and injects it, taking them by surprise while his body begun to morph his body, causing it to become much darker and bigger.

After a few minutes of changing, they all see his new form in more shock. "Holy...Fucking...Shit." The new form Randon took was a Dark Tan monster, which resembled a bit like a Brawler but three times bigger, holds some of the bones in his spine, shoulders, teeth, and skull showing off and looking more sinister while in his arms, he had a sharp Claw on his right arm, a three fingered claw in the other, and with two Blades on each of his side arms. Revealing itself to be the most powerful Hunter, Ultimate Hunter, it roars loudly in anger and strength while Ashen looks at his mom. "Mom! Get you and Haley out of here as fast as you can and go find Rachel! She's around here still!" She was about to say something, but he intervened. "FUCKING GO!" After saying this, his head was grabbed and thrown at the wall, which caused them to run off so he can deal with the Infected Randon.

Recovering from the attack, his eyes open a bit to see the left hand of the large beast shoot out a tendril, which was the power's name, stopping him and his arm from even moving via the wrist, which also gave the monster enough time to prepare one of its two large blades to stab and slash him. In a means to escape, he turns his own Claws into the Spikes so he can use the sharpness of it to get out, but one of the large weapons hit him in the side, which would have cut straight through him but he was strong enough to keep himself on it to prevent that. At the end of the swing, he lets go and lands on the ground while the wound on him healed and throws one of the chairs to stun the most powerful Brawler, only for it to react by clawing the chair with its only hand but didn't see him swinging into his face by using the Whipfist and kicks straight into the face. While it may work for just any other infected or human, it didn't for him. And it was proved when it grabbed the boy's legs and started slamming him down onto the floor harshly to the point where it left small craters behind, then lands him on his back completely fatigued and unsure on what's to happen next, but he sees it when the monster is above him about to claw and slash him quickly, which leads him to use the Shield as protection to lower the attacks. However, the first two attacks made it instantly break on him, leaving the young one to be grabbed by the chest through being stabbed with the claw, then thrown out the window.

Once being thrown, multiple shards of glass flew by him while he fell down onto the ground, with him using the Biomass in him to bring out the Armor to reduce the damage of the fall and comes into contact with a car, destroying it by leaving a large enough dent into the metal. He planned to get up quickly from the car, but the Ultimate Hunter suddenly came out and lands on top of him, crushing the car even more and leaving Ashen deeper into the ground. To get out from where he was at, the PROTOTYPE turns his whip-like weapon into the Hammerfists and starts punching at the legs, causing it to go back a bit until he puts a large amount of force into it, sending the large beast through the windows while the Blackwatch soldiers that was still there saw it and begun to shoot. Getting up and angry that such a thing happened, it screeches loudly and slams its fists down onto the ground, shooting out multiple tendrils from the body that's surrounding around most of the front part of the building, also taking the seventeen year old backwards a wall, cracking both it and the body armor by the single shot alone. When he finally recovers, he sees the beast running toward him on two feet, with him reacting by changing his fists into the large Blade and runs at him as well, with the two weaponized powers to clash in sparks, but the large hybrid beast started to use both of its blades that are on the side arms to easily overpower it, causing him to slip a bit. When he did, it took what just happened to its advantage and uses the large weapons to blast it with Tendrils, shooting him in the chest and slamming him down into the ground constantly, with each and every one being harsher than the last, and ends it with a rougher one.

Getting up from the attack slowly, he's beginning to realize that even with his most powerful offensive and defensive abilities, he's no match for him in every regard in terms of both strength and speed. Though through his superhuman hearing, he hears from one of the dead soldiers radios talk of something. "Project: ZEALOT will now commence in fifteen minutes. All personnel, evacuate as fast as you can. If you don't make it in time and end up being in the explosion...Then may some kind of god out there have mercy on your soul."

Hearing this made him realize that if this battle keeps going on, he won't make it to stop the Hydrogen Bomb or find its location. "This is getting me nowhere...I have to figure out on what to do fast." Knowing he won't get out of it quickly, he jumps away to lure him so he can figure out a way to defeat it, seeing that through running it was a bit uneven since one was more muscular than the other. Using this handicap to his advantage, he turns the bladed arm into the whip so he can shoot it at the thigh and yank back, causing the infected monster to fall over and down onto the ground, which also made a small crater, with it getting up slowly and the young shapeshifter running towards it with his arm returning back to the Blade and slams it down onto one of the arms from the elbow, dismembering it along side one of its two arm blades. Screeching loudly, the monstrous colonel uses the Biomass it holds within itself to regenerate the lost arm, returning the Claw but not the Blade itself, and tries to slash him with it but it's countered turning his available arm into same kind of power, countering it pushing it back while the other arm used the same kind of weapon on his right one to stop him, to which he blocked this as well and cut off the other one, leaving it bladeless. "Doesn't feel fucking nice now, does it Randon?!"

Now no longer having any of the side weapons, it got up and swung one of its arms at him, sending him backwards into a wall but also fracturing more of his Armor to the point where it broke, revealing himself in his normal form but with the powers still intact. Recovering, he jumps off of the wall and starts sprinting towards the beast, but before he could get close it shot out tendrils from the left arm, hitting his hand and expanding to leaving him connected to one of the nearby buildings in a Black tendril that held Dark Red vein-like lights. He was going to slash it off of him, but another of the same kind of attack stopped him as well, leaving him defenseless and no way of attacking. Taking this chance, the Ultimate Hunter runs toward him with the taloned hand prepared to stab him constantly with no means of escaping, causing Ashen to start moving around to help him get loose, but nothing helped him by any means while it kept running towards him. Needing to get out of there, he turns both of his arms back into Hammerfist and begins to move more, each and every movement causing the very thing that's connecting him to break more and more until he finally got out. At the very last second, the large monster got near him and was about to stab and slash him, but he was fast enough, especially if his fists were heavy, to stop him by punching him directly in the face, knocking him down onto ground.

Taking this chance, he turns his arms into the Whipfist one final time and grabs a hold of one of the legs to yank it off, making it yell in anger while it tried to recover and get up, but the other one was taken off as well, leaving it to struggle getting up. Since it was now holding no legs, he jumps on top of the beast, turns his arm back into the Blade, and cuts off the clawed arm so it wouldn't attack with it, then at the one that has the Tendrils as the arm. But when he was about to cut it off, the beast attempted to shoot at him so it can enough time to regenerate, but fortunately for the boy he missed and was able to cut it off. Now limbless, he stabs it in the chest, leaving the beast with a large stab wound, then turns his arm back to normal so he can grab both sides and truly test his strength while also getting enough room to do it. "...This could've been easy for you if you just believed me..." Keeping a hold of both parts of the body, he begins spreading it and have blood gushing out, making it roar loudly in pain for the longest amount of time until he was finally able to; He tears the being into two halves and begins to consume it with smaller tendrils, gaining his memories.

 **"Thank you, and I plan to make all of you proud." Randon said when in a celebration for him gaining the rank of Colonel. "I swear that I'll make an even better one than both Randall and my grandfather Colonel Rooks. I promise you that much!" Along with the memory of this he gained, it also shows of the location of where the bomb will be launched at; East Harlem. But it was underwater so there would be an unexpected launch.**

Knowing of the location, he grips his head in pain a bit to relief of the feeling of him consuming, but he overhears the same radio. "Five minutes until deployment. Time to haul ass if you're not getting evacuated yet."

Knowing that time was finally running low for him, he grabs the radio and starts running toward where it's to launch as fast as possible while taking out his phone to call Taylor. "Mom, have you found Rachel yet?"

"N-No. I haven't. Is something wrong?" She asks.

"Yes, I am! But you need to find somewhere safe for you and Haley! The Hydrogen Bomb is about to drop down onto the city in a bit if I don't stop it! If I destroy it with the Whitelight in hand, I could PROBABLY stop the city from exploding and save everyone!"

"A-Alright. I'll do it. But are you sure you want to do this? You know you'll never be human again."

"Yeah...I am. I chose to do this on my own free will...And I have to live with it. I'll call you when it's destroyed." He puts down the phone and runs as fast as he can through the infected streets, going at his full and even past his own speed.

* * *

 _ **East Harlem - Time: 10:59 PM**_

Running as fast as he can, he starts breathing heavily with the Whitelight cure in his hand for at least a few minutes until he hears the next announcement. "Project ZEALOT deploying in Five...Four..." Hearing this caused Ashen to pick up the pace, with more tendrils swishing around his boots than ever before. "...Three...Two..." He runs faster than he ever has before and gets near the edge of Manhattan. "...One."

Once the countdown was finished, the medium-sized missile then shot out from the water, with him taking notice and growled. "Oh no you FUCKING DON'T!" Turning his arm into the Whipfist, he shoots and grabs a hold of one part of the flying weapon, then grapples onto it to take a hold of it while it still flew upwards.

Despite his weight, it still flew upwards and toward the center of the city while parts of his skin was being destroyed only for it to be regenerated. It kept flying him up high and higher to the point where he was more than a thousand feet in the air. When it was high enough, the very thing to make the missile stopped, with him then taking this very moment to keep a hold of the cure and uses the very same fist he's holding it in to punch the bomb. Doing this causes it to go off, creating a large explosion that's at least one hundred miles in diameter, which causes very little damage and destroyed Ashen's body to the point where it blew him up into nothing but small chunk. However, the explosion also destroyed the cure for the infection, but at the same time also helped spread it all over the city so it can cure all of those that were infected, and it started to show so.

* * *

 ** _Friday  
October 20, 2062_**

 ** _Day 7 - Infected Population: Less than 0.0002%  
Times Square - Time: 12:00 AM_**

In the streets of the now cured New York Zero, all of those that were treated begun to cheer and embrace knowing that not only have they returned back to normal and alive, but that it was all over and nothing was to harm them again, and to them, the boy was one of them. And speaking of such, all that remained of him were small bits of Biomass, which was much like Blood and he was no longer living. However, a small stray cat saw of this substance and observed it in curiosity before it started to lick it, but when it did a tendril covered it and consumed it's living energy, making all of the pieces start to come together.

When they all started to draw to one another, it started to form into a pile and recreate himself, with people watching now in fear. "A-Aaagh..." He moaned in a deathly and raspy growl while his body begun to regenerate, starting from simple bones, organs, muscles, and finally his skin so he can fully regain his body, but was naked just for a few seconds until his own Biomass recreated his boots, jeans, shirt, and hoodie while his 'J' symbol on his chest still glowed brightly. He stares at everyone that watched him return in the most fearful emotion, but did nothing and walk away from them since they were no threat, then towards a phone booth since his phone was destroyed by the explosion and started making a call. "...Mom, are you still there?"

"Yes, I am. Are you ok Ashley?"

"Yeah...I am. I'll be there soon." He hangs up the phone and quickly runs back to where the building in the Financial district still stands, but along the way he just saw normal people recovering from the virus, which he was glad for since it was all finally over. Or so it seemed at the moment.


	17. Day 7 - One Final Threat

_**Financial District - Time: 12:27 AM**_

It took him a while to get there since after running for a while and nearing the location he needs to be, Ashen decided to slowly walk back to where he was and took him time in doing so. When he arrived, he saw the building just as it was before due to his fight with Randon when he became infected, and multiple Blackwatch soldiers saw him and prepared all of their weapons for anything he would do, but they stopped when he demonstrated him turning into their own Colonel as disguise, showing he killed and consumed him. Without their leader, they all felt powerless, so they all dropped their guns and got out of his way to make a path for him, which he took after returning back to normal and headed inside, showing that both Blackwatch and Gentek was officially over and potentially forever

When he got in, he walks up the stairs and to the next floor to see his family, making him smile. "Mom! Haley!"

Hearing him, the small girl that still wore her Blue dress looks at her big brother with a smile. "Ashley!" She runs up to him and hugs him after he crouches down enough for him to hug her. "I'm so glad you're ok! I was so worried! There were so many monsters and I...I was so scared that the bad guys would hurt us!"

Smiling by this, he looks at her in the eyes with his Brown ones. "...Don't worry. The bad guys are gone, and they'll never hurt you again. I promise." Knowing she's calmed down, she hugs him tightly again in security since she knew she needed something to protect her, then looks at his mom. "...Did you find Rachel around here yet?"

"No, not yet. I'm sure she's somewhere around here." His mom explains while walking to him and hugs him after he gets up when the sibling stopped hugging. "I'm so glad you're safe...I'm sure your dad would be proud of you for what you did, doing what you had to to save your family." She grips him tighter than ever. "...I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry to not believe you..."

"No Mom...I'm sorry. I put you into the point where you wouldn't even trust me because of me being such a...A piece of shit. It's my fault you didn't...But now things are different and...I've learned from this." They stop hugging and stare at each other. "...It took me such a long time to realize it, but I can't use everything for granted and everything has a consequence...And this is it...I've become this and realized my only two friends were nothing like I thought they were...But...I'm glad I did find out. Because now I know who are my true friends and family to me..."

"...All you wanted was something to help deal with your dad's death...But in the end outside of the trouble you caused...You've become so much like him."

He smiles by this and looks at them. "...Come on. Let's go find Rachel and go home." They nods and start walking with their hands together, but they were stopped by somebody crashing through one of the windows to hear that this person was growling.

The person looked up to reveal himself; Luke with his arms now Claws to show he's the only one with the Blacklight virus left. "...Ya got a ton of fuckin' nerve to do this Ash...Destroy MY CITY and MY ONLY CHANCE to control EVERYTHIN'!" This causes the small girl to hid behind her big brother, with him preparing for whatever he was planning to do. "...Ya had the chance to work with me...And now ya gotta pay the price for it...Ya still have the chance to back out now."

Keeping himself prepared, he shakes his head while turning his arm into the Blade. "...No. No fucking way am I joining you again."

"...So much for bein' nice." The Brown haired PROTOTYPE runs to him and claws his chest after dodging the large weapon, stunning and knocking him down. "...This is what ya get A.J! Shoulda taken the offer when ya had the chance!" He grabs both the Black haired mother and her daughter in his arms.

"Ashley! Help me!" The younger one said just before and during when the boy took them away from him.

Now recovering from the attack that was just inflicted onto him, he slowly gets up to see that they were gone and he was alone. Seeing this made his rage grow to extreme levels and to relieve it, he screams loudly to the point where all of those near him started to run away in fear since they all knew what he was capable of. "LUKE! YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD, YOU HER ME?! I'LL FUCKING FIND YOU AND I'LL KILL YOU!" He stands there to calm down briefly until he needs to know if Rachel was ok. Since he didn't have a phone, he runs down to one of the offices to use one of the telephones and puts in her number.

After waiting for a minute or two, with each and every second growing his impatience, he hears it picking up. "H-Hello?"

"Rachel? Are you ok? Where are you?"

"I-I...I'm at Gentek. Luke got a hold of me after you told me to hide and...And he's holding me hostage. W-Why? Is something going on?"

"...He's got them. He's fucking got them...My mom and sister..."

"O-Oh god...He's drawing you in...W-What do you plan to do?"

"...I'm going to make him pay...Make him suffer. When it's all fucking over...I'll tear him into nothing but nothing but bloody little pieces..."

Knowing there's no choice, she sighs. "Ash...Do it. Do it before he hurts anyone again...He's not the same person he was before...He's worse...Much worse...To the point where he's not even considered a human anymore...Please...Stop him." By saying this, they both hear something landing near her. "O-Oh god...G-Get away fro-" She's suddenly cut off.

"Rachel?! RACHEL!"

After a few seconds of silence, another voice comes up; Luke once more. "...It all could've ended so much better Ash. Ya could've just went with me like always, then you could've got whatever ya wanted out of it...But ya had to go and destroy your only chance at freedom...But now it's destroyed...It's a shame ya loved ones have haveta die 'cause of it..." This causes Ashen to growl in anger. "...C'mon man, what happened to ya? You always wanted to do what ya wanted. Why get rid of the chance? If ya think about it, we're pretty much the same."

"...No, you're fucking wrong. We're not alike. And yeah...I want to do whatever the hell I want...But ever since the outbreak, I realized something; This isn't ABOUT ME or what I WANT anymore. About me wanting to do whatever the hell I wished and wanted. It's about every single life in this fucking city...And I'll be what you or Alex Mercer isn't; Someone to protect this place...These powers are a sign to show on the wrong I did...and I plan to use it on you...And to kill you with it. Only then this city will be safe."

After hearing all of this, he just laughs. "...Is that what ya really think now? A'right...Ya caught my attention. If ya want 'em...Come an get 'em at the top of the Gentek building...That's where we'll end it once and for all. See ya there...Jacobs."

The call then ends, leaving him standing there in the office, but he just slams the phone down and stares at the window for a small bit until he crashes through it and starts running on the buildings, getting to the final battle in all of this.

* * *

 _ **Gentek - Time: 12:43 AM**_

Once he finally gets there, he climbs up the partially destroyed buildings while in the air were filled with helicopters since they were returning back to the city to drop off those who were about to be evacuated. But he payed no mind to any of them and focused on getting to the top of the building while a light thunderstorm was being formed in the sky until he finally makes it to the top.

When he did, he sees the boy with his captured friend and family near the corner of the building, making him smile. "...Hiya Ash. Nice to know ya made it." The very sight of it made the Black haired teenager angry. "...Ya made a big mistake not acceptin' my offer...It all could've ended SO well...You could've had everythin' ya ever wanted that nobody gave ya...But you just kept tryin' to play the good guy instead of just embracin' what ya are now." He then starts to laugh. "...Fuckin' idiot...Don't ya wanna be free?"

Finally had it with him, he growls loudly. "Shut your FUCKING GODDAMN MOUTH YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!" He yells in rage, scaring his loved one. "I have FUCKING HAD IT with your FUCKING LIES, your FUCKING TRICKS, and your FUCKING GODDAMN SHIT! Give me back my FUCKING FAMILY NOW or else I'll FUCKING TEAR your GODDAMN BODY INTO FUCKING PIECES!"

"No!" He says right back. "...No, I don't fuckin' think so...I plan to make you suffer nice and slowly..Just like how they made me suffer...And to destroy what you love because you KILLED mine!" This causes them to stay silent. "...Don't ya remember? Those piece of shit parents always beat the SHIT outta me physically and mentally. I had no way outta there until...Until I became...THIS." He shows it off by having tendrils swishing for a bit. "...I knew that this was the key to my escape...So...I killed 'em. For the longest time, I've never felt so free until now. But the past...It just kept on hauntin' me...Never to get outta my head with what this city is now, and before the outbreak...So what's the best way to get rid of the past? Make new fuckin' history while I stand in control! Where'd I be the leader of the world in MY control!" He crosses his arms. "...But all that's in my way between me and that...Is you. And once I'm done, I'll consume you and gain whatever it is that makes you immune to Blacklight, then I'll spread the NEW virus and finish what I started...And KILL them."

Knowing of his true plans, Ashen prepares himself. "...I'll stop you from doing that...Because you'll have to go through me."

He smirks by this statement while the clouds begun to start raining, having it drizzle first. "One of us'll have to die here tonight...So, how about we get this shit over with, Ashy?" Once he said this, he turns his arms into Claws once again, with the Black haired one turning his arms into the same weapon while they both prepared themselves, ready for the final showdown. Taking the first move, Luke runs at him with his arms prepared, with the other doing the same and the two started to swing their arms at each other to slash one another, but they constantly dodged each other as fast as they could to show they were both equal in speed. But when the main boy found a spot for him to strike him at, it was instantly blocked with the bladed hands. "...C'mon Ash, you can do fuckin' better than that!" The Brown haired teenager pushes the hand back and claws his face, leaving splashes of blood to come out and stain his hood on the Blue hoodie-like jacket and part of his shirt, causing him to skid back a bit but the biomass he holds was able to regenerate quickly.

From that moment he recovered, he leaps toward the boy with evil intentions with his claws prepared, but they were blocked and the two ended up struggling to see on who would overpower the other, causing sparks of metal hitting metal to be created at the same time from their fingers. They kept going for a power struggle for a long while until he kicks the heroic one in the leg, causing him to fall down onto his knees and vulnerable to be attacked by his claws, but the Black haired teenager sees this and uses the Shield power to block it since his Armor was still in the point of recovering. After a few attacks on the Black and Red shield, he's finally able to counter one of them and parry it with the razor sharp claws to leave Luke vulnerable to be attacked, which the other boy takes advantage of and stabs his own Claws into his chest, staining his Black shirt while also getting thrown into a wall.

Using the time he has now, he turns his arm into the Blade once again so he can stab him in the chest, which freaked Haley out since she was still unsure on what was going on, then throws him through one part of the glass ceilings, knocking him and stabbing him into one of the metal beams while he was slightly covered in blood. "How do you like that you piece of shit? Fucking stings, huh?!" From hearing this, he starts to slowly move himself out of where he was stabbed and lands on the ground on his knees, but he got up rather quickly with a smirk. "...What's so fucking funny Broker?!"

He just chuckles. "Nothin'! This is startin' to get fun!" Suddenly, it goes away with a scowl. "But...I was just warmin' up." With that being said, he turns Claws into his own version of the Blade, which was much more jagged than Ashen's while the rain and thunderstorm started to get stronger as well to the point where it was started to get heavier and so was the thunder. He jumps down and starts swinging his weapon towards him, which he blocks as fast as he could to cause the attack he delivered to be stopped, but doing so caused sparks to fly by as well. "...I'm the one who got the blade first. C'mon Ash, be fuckin' original." He parries the weapon away from the heroic PROTOTYPE, then slashes him in the chest constant, leaving blood to shoot out with each and every hit that was left on him, causing the females to just sit there watching in shock that he was getting attacked like this, but it was put to a stop when the attacks were finally blocked by holding the large weapon.

Despite it being stopped, Luke uses his enhanced strength to just swing him away from the building, to which he reacts by turning his own right arm into the Whipfist and grappling back up to the top and shoot up suddenly in the air to not only get back up, but to also deliver a harsh blow into his face to stun him. Using this very moment to his advantage, he grapples himself toward the Brown haired boy so he can come near him, which he counters attempting to slash off the arm, but he was able to dodge the attack by sliding under him, grabbing him with the whip-like weapon , and throws him at a wall of the building, smashing part of it. "How's that Luke? You know how to fucking give it but you don't know how to fucking take it like a little bitch, do you?!" The boy with the Hazel colored jacket slowly gets off of the wall and runs to him while swinging the Blade, with the one in Blue dodging as fast as he could until he changes his weapon into the Hammerfist so when the weapon got near him he would slam it down and start beating his face harshly due to is incredible strength, destroying parts of his face since it was that strong, and finishes the barrage with a punch straigh into the face, sending him back rolling. "How do you like that bitch?!"

Recovering from the attack, he gets up but is a bit slower than the last time, using his large weapon as support to show that his forehead and nose was leaking blood due to the attack and some of it got onto his clothes more, which gets him a bit angry but keeps the scowl on him, but nobody could see due to the dark night being covered in even more heavier rain, but the thunder hasn't worsened yet. "...You're startin' to become a real pain in my fuckin' ass Jacobs. But...I'm not done. Nah...FAR from it!" That being said, he starts changing his Blade from that into his own version of the Whipfist, where instead of hooks for the fingers, they were smaller yet finger sized harpoons. "...C'mon Ash! Show me what you've fuckin' got!" Using the extendable power in his right arm, he starts swinging it around to hit him, with some dodging but the latest hit made him grab onto one of the smaller satellite dishes, making him smirk. "...Here, catch!" He yanks it off and makes it hit Ashen, stunning him.

Now stunned and no means to defend himself because of it, the Brown haired boy grabs a hold of him and lifts him up so he can slam him down onto the roof, then starts slamming it down onto him with no means to escape but to just take every hit he was given while they just stared at him still in shock by the battle that's going on. With a free arm, he lifts him up by covering him with the expandable arm and begins to harshly punch him in the face, with each and every hit become more and more harsher as the next to the point where blood was slowly but surely coming out, then as to make sure he's still alive, he continues to slam him down onto the ground and walls on the roof to weaken him so he can be consumed. But the teen that's getting beaten slowly recovers finally and turns his large fists into the Spikes, then uses them to cut through the arm, amputating him while he yelled in pain long before he was able to recover and regenerate the lost limb with his Biomass, with Haley's eyes being covered by Taylor so she wouldn't see it.

Taking this time of weakness his former friend has while also trying to stand, with some of the blood flowing down his head and onto his clothes, Ashen begins to start punching him with the spiked gauntlets he's still wearing, causing a lot of blood and Biomass to swish out of his body and face, with some of it getting on himself. "How does it fucking feel now bitch?" Finishing the barrage of attacks he did onto his body and face, he keeps a hold of his head and begins to punch it harshly until he finishes it by backhanding him in the side of the head, knocking him down. "...You're fucking FINISHED LUKE!" Though despite the attacks, the said boy was slowly getting up than before while also healing his lost weapon.

When he got up, most of his clothing was now covered in blood, much like his former friend, but was now getting much weaker than before, but the storm wasn't since it was raining even harder now and the thunder was getting much more louder and visible. Knowing this for a fact, he growls lowly. "...This shit's gone on for more than a fuckin' long time...I'm ending this bullshit...NOW!" Once he states this, he turns his one armed weapons into his own version of the Hammerfists, which was much like his but held a few spikes at the end and sharp nails on his fingers. "...I've messed around for long enough...Time to fuckin' end this you emo fuck!"

"Bring it you sack of shit!" He changes his arms into the same weapon himself and they charge at each other, having both of their powers clash against each other, causing large thumps to be created with each hit that they deliver against each other due to their massive strengths from their fists, but each of the punches they deliver did little to nothing to any of them in terms of damage. Knowing the attacks won't be going anywhere, he jumps backwards, prepares the fist, and throws it while letting him get taken away by the thrown fist, which the Black haired teen sees and quickly blocks it with his Shield, but it ends up breaking in a single blow, leading towards the attack hitting him in the chest and knocks him down onto the ground, to which gives the Brown haired one the opportunity to start beating him harshly with the power driven fists, causing more blood and biomass to shoot and gush out of his head, leaving his head to be bashed and bloody while the blood got onto him.

He keeps punching with a sinister smirk on his face, but on the final punch he would've delivered, he stops and stares at him. "...How 'bout it Ash? Do you get how much I want this? The fuckin' PAIN I'm feelin'?" He watches his facial expressions through the blood, seeing he's barely trying to stay awake. "...It's about to be that time of where I'm in control...And when I am...I'll kill everyone ya love that's dear to ya..." He looks over to the small sister of his. "...I'll start off with the little girl...But it won't be so quick and painless...It'll be nice..And slowly..." This catches his attention and opens his eyes a bit, now having the anger in him be the thing to wake him up and turn his arms into the whip. "...See ya later...Ashen." At that very moment, he swipes it at his head, stunning and hitting a part of his already bloody head. "AH! FUCKING SON OF A-"

Filled with fury, he gets up despite all of the wounds he has, which were bad to the point where even that couldn't be healed instantly, he hits and grapples toward him so he can cover his torso. "Like fucking hell I'll let you do that shit!" Using every ounce of his strength he has left, he skids him across the roof, leaving a bloody trail while he just lied there. "...C'mon...Get up Broker! Get the FUCK up Broker so I can beat your FUCKING ASS down again!"

Likewise, he slowly get up weakly with a large amount of struggle and still having the blood on him, with him growling and the storm and rain getting much worse. "...You're fuckin' dead Jacobs...I'll...Kill you!" Seeing Haley there in the corner with the girls, he smirks and turns his arm into the Whipfist so he can grapple him self towards her and grabs her, which shocks them. "...You either let me go, or your sis dies early here and now!"

Now soaking wet, the young girl whimpers in fear. "A-Ashley! Help me!"

Seeing this made his anger rise greatly, higher than previously before, but he didn't want his sister hurt. So he gives up his powers and slowly walks to him, which makes Luke smirk. "...I knew you were just to fuckin' dumb to let those feelin's get the best of ya." From that moment, he starts making tendrils so he can consume Ashen, but when he did he was grabbed and thrown towards the otherside of the building, hitting his head on one of the dishes while also letting go of the little girl.

When she was let go, she was started falling from the building and started screaming. "Mommy! Big Brother!" Before the fall would continue, a part of her dress was grabbed by her brother with his Whipfist, then yanked up so she would be in his arms. "A-Ashley!"

Even though he was filled with rage, he smiles softly at her. "...Hide behind your mom and Rachel...You might not want to see what'll happen next." She nods and hides behind both Taylor and Rachel, with them nodding. Afterwards, his smile was officially gone and all there was in his eyes in anger and the want of death, with him looking at the Brown haired boy to see him getting up. "...It's time you die...Luke."

He gets up from the hit he took and growls. "...You're FUCKING DEAD ASHLEY!" In sheer anger, he turns his arm into the Claws once more and lunges towards him while he ran at him, but turned his Whipfist into the Spikes and Shield so he can counter and stop the attacks being thrown at him, then counters the attack to leave him defenseless. Using this moment to his advantage, he cuts off one clawed arm using the back of his spiked one, causing him to yell right before the other one was cut off while the small one covered her ears to block out all of the yelling and blood and biomass leaking out.

Using any of the remaining biomass, he regenerates the lost limbs and comes out with the Blade, then attempts to use it to cut off one of his arms. Seeing this attempt, he quickly turns his gauntlets into the single blade and blocks it using that, causing sparks to fly by and using his strength plus the rage, he parries it and cuts off the arm that connects his arm to the weapon, which too made him scream in pain while more fluids flowed out. Regenerating, he turns it into the whip weapon to lash at him, but the Shield then stops it from connecting to him, then rids of it so he can use his available arm to grab it. "Get your FUCKING ASS OVER HERE!" He yells in loud voice while yanking him towards the Black haired teen so he can push him away from him and shoot the expandable weapon into and around Luke's shoulder, then with all of his force he yanks it off, leaving him to yell and flow out blood in pain.

Using the last of his own biomass, he heals the lost limb and turns them into his Hammerfists, to which he turns and looks at Ashen in anger. "...You've...Done that shit...For the LAST. FUCKIN'. TIME!" Using all of the strength he has left, he lifts up his fists and swings them down, with the hero then turning his arms into the same kind of weapon and stops the attack, then they grab their hands to star their last power struggle. Using all of his strength, starts to overpower him and his grip, causing the manipulator to get into pain and on his knees due to his body now being weak, then the unexpected happened from all of them. Using his strength and every bit of it, he starts pulling on his arms to the point where they started to pop until it happened; He yanks off his arms from the shoulders, making him scream loudly in sheer pain while the younger sister covered her eyes but started watching a bit to see the site in front of her.

All there was to see was Luke on his knees with his arms now gone along with his shoulder and all that was shown was the socket of where his arms were and the muscles that was gushing out blood, which didn't heal due to him finally losing all of the biomass he could use. He tries to get up with his legs, but the one with Black hair forms his arm into the large blade to stop him by cutting off his legs from the shins, making him fall down and lie there with no way of moving except his head. When he fell, he was instantly grabbed and lifted up by the head, showing he was the winner. "...It's over, Luke."

Knowing this was the truth, he just smirks weakly. "...So this is how it end for me...Eh?" He chuckles by this. "...Look like I lost and you're better...Ya won." He closes his eyes. "...Go on, get it over with." Taking this victory, he slowly turns his arms into Claws while he stares at him with the most coldest look, then starts clashing the remains of his body while tendrils formed around the body to consume him and Haley watched with wide eyes filled with horror that her big brother is doing this, then his body becomes his, along with his memories.

 **"...The fuckin' pain...It hurts...It's like I'm trapped in a fuckin' prison with no way outta it...I just want out and forget everythin' that's happened...I'll find a way out...I know it...Somehow...And some way."**

Once he consumed him, it was over; both the battle and the only threat left. Healed from the battle due to consuming Luke, he looks over to his family and friends while the storm begun to clear up and walks to them. "It's...It's over..." Both Rachel and Taylor smile a bit by this, which made him do the same but sees his sister. "Haley? Are you ok?" She didn't respond. "It's ok...I'm not going to-"

He tries reaching for her, but she moves his hand away. "D-Don't hurt me!"

Hearing this made his heart suddenly break on him, realizing what she just said and then looks at his hands covered in blood. Knowing on what he did, he looks at both of the women with Black hair just momentarily before running and gliding away, leaving them to stare in shock by where he went, leaving the mother to just sit there and begin to tear up knowing that her son left him, but with his now potentially ex, she stares at where he went in concern. But while sitting there, multiple helicopters started flying by to see the sight of what happened.


	18. Day 8 and Beyond - Mankind's Protector

**_Saturday  
October 21, 2062_**

 ** _Day 8 - Infected Population: Less than 0.0001%_**

Within the bright and sunny day of New York Zero, multiple people were walking through the streets while some were recreating or rebuilding the Blacklight virus did to the city with the thanks of Luke. But within the part of Times Square, Ashen, with the blood ridden of on his clothes, was standing at the top with his hood up, staring at the sight in front of him

 _"It's strange to me...I thought when Blackatch, Gentek, and Luke was taken care of, everything would return back to normal for me...And with my life...But I now understand something now...Everything that's led up to now...THIS is my life now...And while everyone gets to...I can't. Because this virus and these powers are a reminder of what I did...And I can't go back on it."_

He looks at more of them now, seeing a happy family with little to no worries on them, which he just stares at them.

 _"People often say that life will always be hell to some and that they're afraid of dying for the ones they love and wish to have any form of immortality. But...If I were to heal through my own energy, then would this mean I'd always be alive? And if so, would this also mean that while I stay alive forever, everyone I love will die before I do? I don't know of that answer myself."_

Back in the Jacobs residence, even though some parts of it was still destroyed, his family still lived there. In the living room, Taylor was giving Haley some breakfast that she made for her in the morning, which was her favorite. But even though she did, the young girl still just sat there not touching the food, which makes her concerned and knows she's thinking of her big brother, also leading to a small bit of depression.

 _"...I know my mom will be depressed that I had to leave...But I knew I couldn't stand to be near Haley after what she saw me do to Luke...I know she sees me as some sort of monster...But it's better that way..."_

With Rachel, since her family was gone she was now living with the Jacobs, and while the mother was at work, she was taking her son's place to watch over his sister. When she finally got her to bead, she heads down onto the boys old room, then lies down to think about him. But in the window, he just watches her in the distance before taking off, which she took notice of and frowns by this.

 _"...And Rachel? She deserves better than me...Any guy would be better for her than me...Because I'm the reason all of what happened happened."_

Within the now dark streets, the young teenager is walking through the crowd of people with his hood still up as always, blending into the crowd.

 _"...Though even now...I don't know on what to think...Am I still alive and the one he called himself 'Ashen'? Or am I an old shell of him and dead? I don't know the answer to that...But it's all I can live up to."_

He kept walking through streets upon streets, from state upon state, and country upon country. Despite not knowing where he's going, he still walks.

 _"...I have no place in the world, and perhaps that's all I am; An outcast in human society...Where one such as myself can't embrace happiness, because then it would all be taken away...And with nothing like that left with me, I'm alone...And I've never been like that so much until now...But maybe it's better this way...For everything I've done that led me to be like this is my punishment. My penance."_

* * *

After a long walk, he stops to see somehow he's in the city of Germany, seeing the water, buildings, and the people in it during the night. While he may stop here, he decided not to and keeps walking.

 _"...But maybe it shows on what's powerful and what's not...No matter what...I'll always have to be the one to protect mankind forever...If I age or not..."_

While walking, he sees multiple thugs picking on an innocent and homeless girl, with him seeing what was going on and decided to walk towards them. This catches their attention and was about to attack, but in response to that he just smirks and forms his arms into Claws to take them down.

 _"...I'm still who I am...The boy that created a virus in just six days...Millions infected...One virus...By me."_

They all see what he did, striking fear into the criminals while the girl stared in wonder, to which makes Ashen smile even more.

 _"...My real name is Ashley Jacobs...An I am the protector of mankind; The PROTOTYPE."_

 ** _Xxx-[PROTOTYPE]: Maximum Carnage-XxX_**

 ** _XxX-The End-XxX_**


End file.
